


Nobody will love you like I do.

by Rogue1987



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Babies, Brotherhood, Childhood Friends, Complicated Relationships, Drama, Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, Father Figures, Like a lot of drama, M/M, Minor Injuries, Shyness, Single Parents, Slow Burn, Team as Family, Unrequited Love, meddling captains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2018-10-14 00:06:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 44,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10524756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogue1987/pseuds/Rogue1987
Summary: Nacho's girlfriend Maria left him with their baby girl Alejandra. Dani, as his best friend, moved in the next day to help him out with her care.Two years later he's still there. Problem is that Dani wants Nacho, but the awful truth is that Nacho is as straight as they come. Isn't he?





	1. Prologue.

**Author's Note:**

> So this has been laying in my laptop for a while. I've been wanting to write a story about Dani for a long time and I do like his bond with Nacho. I think there could be something there from his side. 
> 
> That he has feelings for Nacho. For the story I really wanted him to be the one who helps Nacho with Alejandra's care now that Maria is out of the picture. I have no clue yet how long this will be, where I'm going or how it will end. 
> 
> Oh btw, I actually really like Maria, but for my story it's better that she's not in the picture. Some of this won't be canon at all, but ignore that okay. It's just my interpretation of the team and some events.

_Valdebebas_.

 

 

 

''Hola, I'm Dani, nice to meet you,'' Dani grinned to their latest signing Mateo Kovacic as he lead him into the living room of their facilities.  
He was a young Croatian with sky blue eyes, dark hair and a nervous gaze, though when he smiled at Dani's offered hand, there were dimples forming in his cheeks.

''Hola, nice to meet you too,'' Mateo replied politely.

Dani had done a bit of research before he met him, as he always did and started a bit of small talk about Mateo's hobbies and passions.

He knew that Mateo would probably rather wait for Luka to show him around, seeing how they spoke the same language but Luka was home nursing a thigh injury. He should have asked Toni to come along really, since he knew that Toni spoke far better English than he did, but Dani had always been stubborn and had a very helpful streak that revealed itself every time new people came in for their first day.

Alvaro always argued that he only did it to feel as if he was important to the club too. Somebody worth mentioning so to say. Not the right back that no one who watched football knew about. Some of their rivals barely seemed to know who he was, they thought so low of him that they didn't even cover him. Alvaro was very close to the truth with that argument but Dani would never admit to it.

Yes it was his biggest fear, that nobody would ever buy his jersey, would ever shout his name because he was far too insignificant for that. He wasn't _special_ like Cris or magical like Luka and Marcelo. 

However, Dani was so immensely proud of his club and their facilities that he just loved showing the newbies around.

Knowing that it was really Sergio's job to do it and that he would surely get his ass kicked for stealing that away from him _again_ but Dani fancied himself a far better tour guide and a much more normal person than Sergio could ever be.

He came on so strong and overwhelming to all new people. Sergio could be highly _intimidating_ in his enthusiasm. At least Iker had been down to earth and balanced but now that Sergio was captain-well let's just say that things had changed rather dramatically.

Dani admired Sergio quite a lot, and he looked up to him daily but in his eyes the first captain really ought to be Pepe. Somehow Dani _trusted_ him more.  
He wasn't a loose cannon like Sergio could be.  
The hot tempered Sevillanos was ever changeable and impossible to predict. He was warm and incredibly caring, but could also explode without a warning and drive you over the walls with his crazy mood swings and loud and erratic behavior. He was as unpredictable as an autumn day.

Pepe was calm and clever and incredibly perceptive toward the needs of his teammates. Whenever they had problems they would come to him for _dad-vice_ as Isco liked to call it. Pepe was the designated father figure of the group, with Iker gone.

The slightly boring one according to the wilder Canteranos like Isco and Alvaro. But Dani, Nacho, Kiko and Lucas really liked to hang out with him.

''Sorry that Luka can't show you around, he speak English better than me,'' Dani said when he started wandering around in their living room, looking for a spare room or Mateo to crash in.

''Oh that's okay, your English is fine,'' Mateo quipped upbeat.

Dani noticed that he had started to relax a bit more since their first meeting. He could only imagine how nerve wrecking it must be to enter a club like Real for the first time.  
To see guys like Cristiano, Gareth and Sergio walking around beside you. And to not have the one person you actually befriended with you at that time. That must have been hard. Not having Luka there today.

Luka was one of the nicest guys that Dani had ever played with and he could only imagine that Mateo missed his comfort.

''Gracias. So during the day after training most of us stay in the room playing games or just hanging out. Right now Sergio is probably asleep, it's his Siesta time. But I will take you to the others,'' Dani suggested.

Mateo swallowed thickly. Dani placed a hand to his shoulder. ''Don't worry, we will go room by room,'' he reassured him. He didn't want to throw the nervous midfielder into the deep immediately.

It was clear that Mateo was really anxious and uncomfortable about being the new kid and needed a slightly gentler hand than Sergio could have ever offered him. He would have thrown him into the deep without any form of floating device.

The first room he knocked on was Pepe and Marcelo's. They usually roomed together and had done so since the start. Most players didn't share rooms but they enjoyed it. ''Come in,'' Pepe yelled.

Dani opened the door and gently nudged Mateo inside. ''Hey guys, I want to introduce you to Mateo Kovacic. Mateo, meet Pepe and Marcelo,'' he said formally.

Marcelo grinned widely. ''Oh christ, Sergio is going to _kill_ you and bury your bones under the Bernabeu when he finds out you stole this away from him again, you do realize that don't you?''

''I don't care, he loves me. I'm his favorite Canterano,'' Dani shrugged.

''Luckily for you that's true,'' Pepe sneered. He rose from the bed and gave Mateo a brief hug. ''Nice to see you again, how was your flight?''

''Good, thanks, some people of the club made sure my stuff got to my new house. Nice to see you again Marcelo,'' Mateo said as Marcelo embraced him too. ''You too, it's been a while,'' Marcelo replied. They had played each other during the world cup in Brazil. Which now seemed ages ago to Dani.

''So, how is Dani functioning as your tour guide?'' Marcelo wanted to know, a mischievous smirk dancing on his lips. ''Great, he's been really nice to me,'' Mateo retorted.

''Yes, he's our little _sweetheart_ that Dani. The kindest kid on the team. If you need anything he's your go-to guy,'' Marcelo informed him wisely.

''Shut up Marce,'' Dani interjected, knowing that Marcelo was just teasing him. Dani was easily embarrassed by compliments, especially compliments from Marcelo. He looked up to him in more ways than he could ever say out loud. He could only hope to one day become such a good back like Marcelo was. So he decided to quickly sidestep his shame and change the topic. As was one of his specialities. ''Wanna go meet the others?''

''Yes, please,'' Mateo was still so damn shy that Dani worried how he would take to Isco. He would eat him alive if he noticed it. Literally.

Isco had a thing for sincere shyness. He was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.  
Which was highly ironic seeing how his boyfriend Alvaro was anything but shy and timid. It was one of the reasons why Alvaro always watched Isco like a hawk whenever he was flirting with Toni.

He knew that guys like Toni were Isco's biggest aphrodisiac.  
But unfortunately for Isco, Toni had already been officially _''claimed''_ by Lucas. Though Toni didn't know it yet. Lucas had started a personal crusade to get Toni to fall in love with him ever since he met him, but so far without any real success.

As far as Dani knew. But Lucas told him pretty much everything so if anything had happened he would have told him. He and Lucas had always been very close. They were a lot alike.

Toni did seemed to like Lucas more than the others, hell he even flirted with him on a daily basis, but then again, Toni also flirted with Isco, right under Alvaro's nose. Considering Alvaro's insane possessiveness that wasn't exactly a smart idea.

Dani wasn't sure what kind of game Toni was playing but all he knew was that the calm German wasn't half as innocent or held back as people assumed he was.

They said goodbye to Pepe and Marcelo and Dani lead him to Toni's room. Best to break him in slowly. Toni opened the door himself when he knocked. ''Hey Carva, come in. Oh and you brought Mateo with you! Hello, it's nice to see you again,''

Toni offered a formal hand to Mateo who shook it firm. Toni's calm, stoic presence seemed to relax Mateo a lot. ''Hello Toni, how have you been?''  
''Great, thank you. I hope you had a nice flight,''

''I did, thanks,''  
Toni nodded and then walked toward the bathroom door and started knocking on it. ''Hey Lucas, get your ass out of that bathroom and say hello to Mateo!''

For a moment Dani was completely stunned when he saw Lucas emerging from the bathroom, clearly fresh out of his afternoon shower. A towel draped loosely around his waist, his hair still damp.

''Hey! I'm glad you're here Mateo, Luka is always bragging about how great you are. Good to meet you,'' Lucas smirked as he shook Mateo's hand.

''Yes you too,''

''Uh, wait a minute, since when do you have a roommate?'' Dani interrupted, turning his sharp gaze to Toni, who was a bit taken aback by his question and blushed. ''Uh well-''

''Why not?'' Lucas interjected, using his smart-ass tone that indicated that he would really rather not talk about it and that Dani would be wise to let it go.  
Dani gazed at him for a moment, hesitating on whether he should argue further but decided to let it slide.

He didn't want Mateo to get into an awkward situation by them bickering.

He and the rest of the Canteranos argued over everything, mostly because they had known each other since they were children and therefore were more like brothers than just teammates. Especially he and Jese could go at it, but now that he was gone Dani mostly bickered with Alvaro.

''Come on, let's go meet Karim and Rapha, they're cool,'' Dani said and he took Mateo away from Toni and Lucas before he would lose his patience.

Karim and Rapha were warm and welcoming as Dani had known they would be. They were the general good, mellow guys of the pack who never stirred shit up or got on people's nerves. They kind of kept to themselves.

Afterward Mateo asked to meet Cristiano. Of course, all new players wanted to meet Cristiano.

He was like an enigma when you had never met him before. But once you got to know him, he was actually quite easy to read and even slightly boring.  
Cristiano was rather predictable and had very solid routines and schedules that he followed to a T. He never deviated from them unless it was absolutely necessary.  
Dani checked his watch and knew that Cris would be up at this time, doing his afternoon exercises in the gym.

So they walked down the stairs and slipped into the gym where they did their fitness.  
Dani hated fitness. He wouldn't work out if it were up to him, but unfortunately he had no choice. He didn't mind running around but those fucking exercises were truly annoying and boring.

Cristiano was doing his squats when Dani and Mateo entered. ''Hey Cris, sorry to bother you but I dropped by to introduce you to Mateo,''  
Cris seized his workout immediately and rose to his feet, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with his towel. ''Hey Mateo, it's great to see you again,''

 _''Again?''_ Dani asked confused.

''Yeah Dani, we met during some international games-remember?'' Cris sighed impatiently, clearly annoyed that Dani hadn't managed to remember all games that the Portuguese had played in.

''Oh right, I'm so sorry that I can't remember _all_ the games you ever played in,'' he huffed, rolling his eyes.

After some small talk where Mateo did little more than stare at the Portuguese, Dani said Cris goodbye and took the Croatian back upstairs. ''I forgot you two already knew each other,'' Dani murmured.

''I was surprised that he remembered me honestly,'' Mateo retorted, blue eyes huge with shock.

''Oh Cris remembers fucking  _everyone_ he ever played against. He's like a sponge, he sucks up all the information before he starts a game. He knows everything about the statistics and players he's up against. He never forgets anything,''

''Huh, I didn't know that,''  
''You do now,'' Dani nudged him in his elbow and grinned.

After that they met Isco, Alvaro and Kiko. Which went about as well as Dani had predicted it would go.  
Mateo was clearly a bit baffled and intimidated by the loudness of the Spaniards and the thousand questions they bombarded him with until Dani finally rescued him out of their claws.

Mateo met Zizou and his staff next and finally the rest of his other teammates. Until there was only one left. _Nacho_.  
Who was in Dani's room as usual, reading a book.

Dani opened the door to his room with their key and smiled at Nacho who was draped on the bed, on his back with a stack of pillows against the headboard.  
He was reading the last Harry Potter book, his personal favorite.

He looked up and smiled warm at Dani when he saw him. ''Hey Nach, brought our latest addition over to say hello,'' Dani explained.

''Sure, come on in,'' Nacho said as he rose from the bed and walked toward them.

''Mateo, this is Nacho, the most normal one of us all. Nacho, meet Mateo,'' Dani introduced them formally, as he had learned from his father. He did it in English, knowing that Nacho spoke above average English, unlike most of the others.

Nacho was one of the smarter guys in the team, one who was well read and educated and who had actually paid attention in school, learning new languages quickly.  
When Dani, Alvaro, Kiko and Jese were out playing football, shooting the shit and skipping school, Nacho stayed in and studied.

''Great to meet you, please sit,'' Nacho smiled as he gestured toward the chairs at the desk. Mateo sat and accepted a bottle of water from Nacho.  
''Oh by the way Dani before I forget, Isco is baby-sitting Alejandra tonight,'' Nacho told Dani with a nod to the sleeping child in the nearby baby bed.

''Aw she's adorable,'' Mateo said friendly, making Nacho gleam with pride. ''Thanks, she's very cute as long as she's asleep,'' he joked. 

Nacho usually took her with him to Valdebas, seeing how he didn't trust nannies, aside from his mother and brother Alex. They were out of town this weekend so he had taken Alejandra with him to the facilities.

''Hold on, why is Isco watching her? I'm right here,'' Dani blinked confused. Alejandra was his godchild, why would Isco be watching her if he was available? He wandered toward the little girl and pecked her warm cheek, making her stir a bit but luckily didn't wake her.

''No you're not, because we're going out to dinner tonight. So Isco is watching Ali,''

Dani involuntarily felt his heart rate speeding up expectantly. ''Dinner? Why?''  
Nacho's stunning blue eyes were beaming mysteriously. ''I'll tell you tonight, so anyway Mateo tell us a bit about yourself,''

As Mateo was telling his life story for the umpteenth time that day, Dani felt himself losing attention to it. His thoughts were drifting off to whatever Nacho wanted to discuss with him at dinner that night.  
Dani had been head over heels in love with Nacho since the day he met him, but he had always been a hundred percent convinced that his love would never be answered.

That Nacho saw him as his best friend, his brother from another mother, but nothing more.

For the last two years Dani had been living in Nacho's house because his girlfriend Maria had left him when Alejandra was just eight months old. Dani had moved in the next day to watch over Nacho, to make sure that he wouldn't destroy himself out of grieve.  
He became a second parent to Alejandra and now that she was two she had grown accustomed to having Dani around as another caregiver.

After her birth Nacho had asked Dani to be her godfather, a task that he had instantly accepted. He loved that child as if she was his own blood. And she loved him.

Nacho and Mateo's murmuring seized when the door flew open and a furious Sergio appeared in the doorway. He was slightly panting and his face was rather red. This was not good.  
He was clearly beaming with anger that Dani had stolen his captain prerogative once again. **''DANI!!!** You scheming little fucker!! You're a fucking dead man!!! You hear me! Dead!'' Sergio shouted as he dove on top of Dani and keeled him backward onto his bed, stomping and simultaneously tickling him mercilessly.

He always did this, whenever anyone disobeyed him or messed with him he would get you back ten times harder. Sergio had never been good at losing face or being made to look bad.  
Dani couldn't help but laugh when Sergio went for his sides.

They were his weakness and Sergio knew it. ''Stop-stop it!!!'' he groaned. Nacho, as always, stopped the ''fight'' and intervened, pulling Sergio off of Dani who gave him a grateful look.

Iker had been the only one who could talk some sense into Sergio, tame him in a way but with him gone, he seldom listened to anyone anymore. Still, whenever he did something really stupid, Pepe would call Iker on him, who would fly over to talk some reason into his best friend.

''Lucky you huh, saved by your _boyfriend_ again,'' Sergio sneered with a pissed off look at Nacho. ''For the thousand time Ramos, he _isn't_ my boyfriend,'' Nacho said coolly, as he crossed his arms. Even though Dani had heard him say that a million times, it still tore his heart in half when Nacho said that. 

''And yet you live together,'' Sergio never knew when to shut up. It was his worst quality.

Dani could literally feel Nacho's anger rising to his chest as if it was his own.

''Not now,'' he told Sergio.  
Sergio raised a dark eyebrow. ''Excuse me sweetheart?''

''Just get out, take Mateo with you okay,'' he gave a knowing glance at Nacho and finally the penny dropped in Sergio's head that it might be better to leave before Nacho would erupt into a volcano of resentment and grief.  
Nacho seldom got angry but Maria leaving him so heartlessly had damaged him beyond repair.  
Jokes about their unique living situation were the one thing that truly set Nacho off.

Dani knew that he hated the insinuations that they might be gay because they shared a house and Isco wasn't exactly helpful seeing how he brought rumors into the team's gossip mill by stating that they were actually fucking. When Nacho learned that Isco had spread that rumor, he hadn't spoken to him for a week.

''Fine, but don't think you're getting out of this so easily, we're going to have a nice little chat about this,'' Sergio warned and Dani rolled his eyes at him. ''I can't wait for your lecture, señor Iker-light,''

Now this was a comment below the belt and Dani knew it. He saw Sergio's features hardening rapidly, but he knew the pain and heartache that lingered below his captain's charade of a mask.  
Sergio missed Iker everyday and him bringing it up again wasn't exactly helpful.

But Dani was truly angry at Sergio for insulting Nacho and he had never been afraid of Sergio, knowing full well that he was indeed the captain's favorite pet and that Sergio would pretty much forgive him for whatever he pulled.

Besides, Dani had always been _very_ protective of the older Canterano and when anyone touched Nacho he sprung into action.

He would have done anything for Nacho. Absolutely _anything_. He would kill for him if he had to.

If it were up to him he would never move out of Nacho's house and would spend his entire life with him, raising Alejandra as his own daughter. But life wasn't a fairytale. Nacho had never felt that way about him and never would. He wasn't gay.

Sergio gave Dani a glare that would terrify the devil himself, but Dani never flinched. ''Fuck you,'' he choked out. ''Come on,'' he bristled at Mateo who followed him quickly, not daring it to say another word.

Sergio slammed the door shut with a tremendously loud bang. Miraculously, the sleeping toddler still hadn't woke up form the noise. Then again, Dani was certain that she could sleep through a war without waking.

Dani exasperated loud and sank into his mattress, clasping onto his head, wondering why he couldn't shut his big mouth for once in his damn life.  
Then again, that was the side of him that Sergio resembled to the most, the one he usually liked about Dani.

But not today. He had stepped so far over the line that he couldn't even see its foundation anymore.

Nacho sat down beside him and their knees brushed together. ''You shouldn't have done that,''  
''I know, I'm going to pay for that one later,''

''You definitely will yes,''  
''Thanks Nach, that helps, stating the obvious,''

Nacho conveyed a sideway smile. ''You're welcome,''  
''So why are we going to dinner tonight?''

''I'll tell you tonight, be patient for once in your life okay,''  
''Yeah, that's not exactly my strong suit,''

''I know, but I'm not going to tell you anything so you can stop fishing now,''

Dani sighed. Nacho was about as stubborn as he was and would never budge. He could spend the rest of the afternoon trying to find out what the plan was but Nacho wouldn't reveal anything.

They hung out quietly for the rest of the afternoon and at night when Nacho brought Alejandra to Isco and Alvaro's room, Dani put on his nicest light blue shirt and favorite black trousers.

When Nacho returned and saw him he grinned. ''Jesus dude, you're _way_ too overdressed for where we're going. Go change into something normal like me,''

Nacho was wearing his favorite pair of jeans and a blue shirt that brought out his eyes so much that Dani had to literally tear his gaze away from them before he would drown in their beauty and sheer mystery once more.  
Dani had spend his entire fucking life trying not to get swallowed by the stormy oceans of Nacho's eyes. They were his most beautiful physical feature if you asked Dani, he could get lost in them forever if Nacho let him. They were like a siren call, luring him in like a desperate sailor.

''Where are we going then?''  
''That's a surprise, but trust me, no _formal_ shit,''

Dani hated surprises, something that Nacho knew all too well. And yet to be fair, most of Nacho's surprises were usually a lot of fun.  
Dani had just never liked it to hand over control to someone else.  
Not even to the person he trusted the most in the entire world, which was Nacho. It had always been Nacho.

His best friend, his confidant, his rock.  
The boy he so foolishly loved, despite all his better judgement and knowing that it could never work between them.

Dani knew that loving Nacho had never been a choice, not for him. It was just something that had happened. Like getting struck by lightning. You couldn't avoid it, it just hit you.  
Meeting Nacho for the first time had been-inexplicable. Inevitable. Hopeless. Ridiculous. Oh and not to forget his personal favorite: _pathetic_. It was just his luck to fall for the one guy in their slightly bisexual group that wasn't into guys.

He changed into a pair of jeans and a cyan colored t-shirt completed with Adidas sneakers. ''Much better,'' Nacho said appreciative.

''Good, can we go then?''

Nacho walked over toward him and grinned. ''Hold up. I always gotta fix you up don't I?'' his hands smoothed the creases in Dani's collar until they looked neat and freshly ironed.

Dani swallowed thickly as he remembered just in time that he had to breathe in order to survive. ''Well we all have our roles to play right? Saving my ass is your job,''

Nacho's eyes turned more serious as he cupped Dani's jaw lightly and forced him to look him in the eye. ''Is it? I could have sworn it was the other way around,''

This took Dani by such a shock that he was unable to come up with a reply. Nacho embraced him before he could say something sarcastic and ruin the moment, sensing that Dani was on the path of awkward destruction again.

So he held him tight, for no apparent reason and they stood there like that-silent and calm.

Dani felt his heart hammering in his chest, wanting so badly to kiss Nacho and never let him go, but that would ruin their friendship forever.

He had learned to control himself years ago, even through their teen years, which hadn't been easy with all the hormones raging through his body and Nacho being so insanely attractive and alluring.

Nacho released him just in time, before he could see Dani's held back tears bubbling up. ''Ready?'' Nacho asked when he had smoothed his clothes straight.  
Dani could only nod, not trusting his voice just yet.

He followed Nacho to the taxi as tons of questions arose in his mind. Why had Nacho just held him like that? Why did he say those nice things? Did it mean anything? Was he seeing things again?

And before he knew it he was lost in his thoughts again, musing on the man who had been haunting his every step since he had been a child.

Some days it really sucked to be Dani Carvajal. _Truly_.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_TBC........._


	2. Descending into the dark.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Nacho's dinner doesn't exactly go as Dani had hoped it would go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for staying away for so long. And for writing a heavy chapter again.  
> But we gotta do what we do best right? Writing heavier shit is apparently my thing. 
> 
>  I hope you like it, please don't forget to let me know. Notes and kudos keep me going and inspired. Writers like me that are so insecure rely on them.  
> It's sad but true.
> 
> Happy easter to all btw. <3  
> Thanks for all the support! It's amazing me how many kudos this gets!

_Downtown Madrid._

 

 

 

 

Nacho send their taxi to a rather familiar part of their city. The neighborhood was so etched in Dani's memory that he instantly recognized where they were going. ''No! You're taking me to Santi's aren't you?''

His best friend grinned and raised his eyebrow. ''Yup, we haven't been there in _ages_ and I know you've missed the place,''

They had been going to Santi's, a nice, cozy family trattoria for years now. Ever since their childhood. It had the best tapas in Madrid and at night, there was live guitar music and dancing.  
They had been coming there since Dani was seven years old. His parents introduced him to the place and it's owner, Santi Lugo. He was an older man with a large belly, a voice that would outdo Sergio when it came to sheer volume and a heart of gold.

He had been like a second father to Dani for a long time. If he was in trouble with his parents or generally upset over something he would visit Santi for advice. His parents only lived five streets away so it was a short walk.   
To his shame he hadn't been there in a long time now, maybe even years. Mostly due to his busy career.

But still, that was a poor excuse seeing how the trattoria was very close to where he lived so he could come by whenever he liked. The guilt overwhelmed him for an instant and his heart rate sped up when the taxi parked in front of the charismatic restaurant. ''What if he's mad at me for staying away for so long,'' Dani asked, when he held onto Nacho's arm, preventing him from getting out of the taxi.

''He won't be, you know Santi. He will always forgive you for anything. He's very proud of you and how far you've come, he told me that the last time I was here, a few weeks ago,''

''You were here without telling me?'' What Dani had meant to say was: _without_ _me_ , but he knew that would be a mistake. 

Nacho sighed, looking aggravated nonetheless. ''Yes, I was here with Alex for his girlfriend's birthday,'' he said, referring to his younger brother.

Dani tried not to take offense in that, but Alex was _his_ close friend too. He wondered why he hadn't invited him to come along, usually Dani came along everywhere with Nacho's family. It felt awfully strange to be excluded from that.

''Come on, he's waiting for us,'' Nacho said, as he dragged Dani out of the taxi and into the trattoria.  
When Dani stepped inside he was instantly jumped by Santi, who pulled him into a bear hug that scared the living hell out of him. For a man as wide and big as Santi, he moved silent like a cat. The restaurant was rather quiet, only two tables were occupied. 

''Hola Dani!!! My boy! I'm so happy to see you!!! How have you been?'' Santi bellowed amicably as he kissed Dani's cheeks and ruffled his hair.

''Hola Santi! I'm great thank you! It's wonderful to see you too. I'm sorry I haven't been around lately but-''

Santi waved his hand at him, looking harsh. ''Nonsense boy, you've been _busy_. I understand. You have a big career now that keeps you really busy,''  
''Still that's not an excuse, I live close by, I should have come over more,''

''No Dani, you are not obligated to do anything. If you want to come over, you are always welcome here, but if you don't have time, you don't have time,''  
''But I _had_ time! I just-I feel like I've neglected you a lot,''

''You haven't, and besides you've been busy raising a young child too. That is a lot of work.  
I can know, seeing how I've got five daughters. Being a parent is exhausting, but also the best job there is.  
Stop beating yourself up kid, I don't blame you for anything so there's no reason why you should punch yourself for it,'' Santi assured him, as he pulled Dani into another tight hug.

Dani felt his heart warm with affection for his old friend and held onto him tight. ''Thank you, that means a lot, coming from you,''

''Of course, hola Nacho,'' Santi released Dani and greeted Nacho with a similar rib cracking embrace. ''Buenas noches Santi, how have you been?''

''Good, bit of trouble with my back again, but other than that I'm fine. So where do you two want to sit?''

Dani stared at their regular table in the corner, by the window and Santi grinned wide. ''Still a creature of habit aren't you? All right, you know the way,'' he gestured at the table and Nacho let Dani go first. As always. He was a true gentleman.

They sat down and Santi brought over their favorite white wine. Just one glass, because they had to play tomorrow and needed to watch their strict diet.

Dani breathed in the familiar atmosphere of their childhood place and felt himself relax instantly. This place was special to them. This was where they had grown up together. Where they had the most happy memories of. It was so good to be back.

''So what's this all about Nach?'' Dani asked when Santi had gone to the kitchen to fetch their favorite tapas for them.

Nacho stared at him, bemused. ''What? I can't take my best friend out to dinner every now and then?''

''Yes you can, but I _know_ you. You've been anxious and quiet all the way here and you are clearly dreading to tell me something. I know your emotions like the back of my hand dude. No one can read you like I do,'' Dani reached over the table and took Nacho's hand loosely in his own. ''So, what's going on? What can't you tell me?''

Nacho swallowed thickly and took three more sips of wine before he finally replied. His hand was quivering and sweaty in Dani's. ''She called me today,''

Dani felt his heart sink into this stomach. There was only one person who Nacho could be talking about. His ex Maria. ''What?!''

''She said that she was sorry for running away with some other guy and that she wants me back. She wants to get to know Ali, be a mother again so-''

Dani felt fury arising in his chest. ''Oh my god! You said _no_ right?''

Nacho frowned at that. ''Why would I say no? Ali needs a mother Dani, everybody does,''

People were starting to notice their arguing. Dani could literally feel their gazes burn a hole in his back. 

Dani desperately gritted his teeth to prevent himself from saying things that would destroy their relationship forever. He bit his lip so hard that he tasted the copper in his own blood. ''Dani, _please_ don't be mad,'' Nacho begged as he handed Dani a tissue for his lip.

Dani bursted out before he could stop himself. ''Mad? Why would I be mad? And since when has she _ever_ been a mother? A real mother doesn't walk out on her child! Goddamn it Nach! She deserted you both! Just like that!'' he said as he snapped his fingers. ''How can you even _consider_ taking her back! Are you stupid!''

Nacho's hand slipped out of Dani's, his expression turning sour. ''I knew you would react like this. You can't ever place Ali's well being before your own needs. You are so jealous at the thought of losing me that you don't want her to have a mother. I'm sorry to say this but you're being awfully selfish right now Dani,''

Now that comment was a knock below the belt. _Far_ below it. It was so hard that Dani felt something break between him and Nacho. An unconditional trust had suddenly been broken.

Dani felt tears escape his eyes as he reached over the table and grabbed Nacho by his collar, hauling him closer so that their noses were touching. He wanted to bash Nacho's stupid face in for this. But at the same time he still loved him, despite being a blind fool when it came to the likes of Maria.

The air was too thick around them, heavy with tension. Dani forced Nacho to look him in the eye. ''How _dare_ you,'' he finally managed to sneer. ''How fucking dare you, throwing that in my face! This is _not_ about me and you. Damn, it has never been about that-remember? This is about your baby girl, who has been motherless for years now because mommy was too busy _fucking_ someone else.  
And now that she's done with that she wants you back! You are too good for her! That's what this is about. I've raised that baby as if she was my own, I love her with all my heart. How dare you to imply that this has anything to do with my feelings for you.  
I've given up fucking _years_ of my life to help you out with her! How could you-'' he wiped his tears away and arose from his chair, -you know, everything I did these past years I did for you two. I sacrificed everything for you and that baby. And what do I get in return? You call _me_ selfish? Fuck you Nach! I'll move out of your life as soon as possible so you can get back with your little cheater! Happy now! Oh but when she grows bored of you and runs off again, don't expect me to be there to move in again!''

Nacho looked at him as if Dani had actually struck him in the face. Part of Dani still wanted to. But he restrained himself, not wanting to make an even bigger scene in their favorite restaurant and also, he was sure that he would never be able to hit Nacho.

Not even when he was being like this. He loved him far too much for that, despite everything he said to him tonight.

He stood up and knocked his chair backward on the ground. The silence that was lingering in the restaurant was palpable with anticipation now. Everybody was gaping at them. Santi stood at the bar, jaw dangling open and for the first time since Dani knew him, he seemed to be at a loss for words. 

''Dani-'' Nacho said faintly, attempting to calm him, but Dani was damaged beyond repairing and just wanted to be anywhere but here with Nacho. He needed some air.

Dani raised his hand to Nacho, warning him that standing up to stop him would be a bad move. ''Don't, just let me be for a while,'' he ran out of the restaurant without greeting Santi and took the first taxi he saw back to Valdebas.

In the taxi he stopped fighting against his tears and let them loose. The taxi driver eyed him cautiously, clearly recognizing him but decided to stay silent about it, something Dani appreciated tremendously. He needed his teammates. They were his family.

When he got out of the taxi he stormed upstairs toward the bedrooms.

He walked into Cris in the hallway, who clasped onto his arm when he saw how disheveled he was looking. ''Hey, whoa whoa whoa! Slow down, what the hell happened to you?'' the Portuguese asked sharply. His damp hair and wearing his white tracksuit indicated that he just finished his regular evening swim.

''I don't want to talk about it Cris, please,''  
''What did Nacho do?''

''How do you-''

''Oh please, your face is like an open book and the guys told me that you were going out to dinner so it's not exactly rocket science is it? Come on, you know we don't have any secrets here,''

''I don't want to talk about it- _yet_. I just wanna sleep,''

Cris surprised him by pulling him into a tight hug, something he seldom did off the pitch. Cris always made sure there was an unspoken barrier between himself and his teammates in real life. He liked them well enough but getting to close to them felt like a distraction to him, therefore he didn't do it that often. His focus lay solely in his career. 

Dani knew that Cris admired and he truly appreciated his effort for support but they had never done this. The whole sensation of the hug felt foreign to him. He had known Cris for years but he still had no clue what went on inside that head of his. He wondered if anyone truly knew him.   

''I'm here for you all right? Whenever you do want to talk. We all are. Here we take care of each other remember?'' Cris hushed. His muscled hands ruffled through Dani's hair and then he released him again, looking sad and pensive.

''Thank you, it means a lot,''  
''So, which room should I take you to?''

''Huh?''

''You clearly want to talk to someone, just not to me. I get it, it's fine. Do you want to go to Lucas?''

Dani cursed Cris' sharp observational powers and his never ending bluntness. ''Actually, can you take me to Sergio?'' he wasn't sure why, but suddenly he had the need to see his captain.

Maybe because he knew that Sergio was the only one who understood how it felt to endure the misery of unrequited love.  
Perhaps because he knew that the temperamental Spaniard also had a very soft, caring side and actually gave out good advice every now and then. Whatever it was, he needed Sergio right now. More than Pepe's wisdom, Cristiano's rationality or Lucas' effortless comfort.

He saw that asking for Sergio was a surprise to Cris as well, for the striker raised two perfectly neat eyebrows.

''Okay, vamos,'' Cris wrapped his arm around Dani's shoulders and lead him to Sergio's bedroom. He never shared rooms with anyone since Iker had left Real.

He always slept alone.  
Cris knocked on the door and Sergio opened it. ''Oh Christ,'' he exasperated when he looked at Dani's distraught face, ''what the hell did he do?''

''He wants to stay with you for a bit,'' Cris helped out when he noticed that Dani was too upset to form actual coherent words.  
Sergio's face warmed instantly and he slid the door further open to let them step inside. ''Of course, come in,''

Cris gave Dani a small nudge and sat him down on the neatly made bed on the left. Sergio always slept on the right. Cris grabbed a bottle of water for him from the fridge and put half of it in a glass. ''Drink up Carva,''

As Dani did, the Portuguese's fingers ghosted over his shoulder. ''Gracias,'' Dani said and he meant it. He had never felt more affection toward the best player in the world. He knew Cris cared about him, but today he proved to him how much he valued him as a person.

Sergio sat down beside Dani and folded his arm around him. ''So tell me what happened,''

Dani stared briefly at Cris, who took that as his cue to leave. ''Right, so I'll go see what Karim is doing,'' he mumbled, ''maybe he wants to shoot some penalties downstairs or something,''

Dani knew that it was a copout, because Karim would be in no mood to work out this late at night, but clasped onto Cris' hand and held it tight. ''Obrigado Cris, for everything,''

''You're welcome,'' Cris winked. He shut the door behind him and then it was just the two of them.

It didn't feel awkward to Dani to be in the same room as Sergio, despite the fact that he knew he owed him a serious apology for his poisonous words a few hours ago. Sergio would always forgive everything you said to him. As long as you offered him a sincere apology.

He wasn't the type of guy to hold grudges against anyone. Luckily.

Dani conveyed Sergio carefully, trying to read his mood, but his own emotions were clouding his sanity. Sergio smiled at him, to ensure him that it was okay to talk to him, but Dani needed to apologize before he could bring up his own shit.  
He needed to get it out of his system.

Dani had hurt Sergio by calling him Iker-light. Bringing up Iker was always a hit below the belt and Sergio was someone you needed on your side.

He didn't hold grudges but also didn't forget anything. Besides, Dani saw Sergio as his older brother, the one who he could always rely on and who he respected, despite his weird traits.  
Pissing him off was not something he enjoyed to do, but sometimes did accidentally.

Dani took the richly tattooed hand into his own. ''I'm sorry Sese, for what I said earlier. I was so far out of line that I couldn't even see the line anymore. It was uncalled for and vicious and I didn't mean it like that. I was just upset because you were offending Nach and I get a little protective of him. I'm very _sorry_ for brining up Iker again,''

Sergio's eyes were shining but he sniffed his tears away. His Adam's apple was working overtime to process his increased swallowing. His other hand folded itself onto Dani's and he held on with a firm grip. ''Don't be. It's okay. I need to learn how to take a punch when it comes to anything that's concerning Iker. He's my weakness, as everyone knows. And yeah I miss him, so much. But he will never come back. That's the reality,''

Dani wondered who Sergio was trying to convince, himself or Dani?

Dani for one, didn't believe it. He knew that despite Sergio's best efforts he had never truly got over Iker, and still cried himself to sleep every now and then because he missed him so much.

That was why he wouldn't condone another roommate, he didn't want the group to see him as weak. Not that any of them ever would.  
Sergio could cry everyday and none of them would value his bravery and devotion any less for it.

He had always been an emotional guy, who's ever changing personality made him highly unpredictable to most. And yes Dani had seen him cry more times than he could count.  
But that was merely because Sergio experienced everything on a much more intense level than most of his other teammates. According to Dani it was one of his strengths, to be able to always express what he was feeling so openly, without any shame.

He wished he could do that. That he could be as strong as Sergio someday. 

''Still, I'm very sorry for the shit I said. I didn't mean it,'' Dani attempted but Sergio threw him a sideway glance. ''Yes you did, you always mean _everything_ you say, it's one of the things I love most about you. You always say what's on your heart Dani, it's a good thing,''

''Well not tonight it wasn't. I was far out of line against Nachito,''

Sergio slid a bit closer against him so that their bodies were touching for support. ''Tell me what happened,''

And Dani did, though it was hackling and layered with pauses because he had to take a minute to dry his eyes and take a sip of water, but eventually he had told Sergio what had happened in a nutshell.  
The older Spaniard exhaled deep, his warm eyes filled with empathy. ''He was being such a spoiled shit to say what he said to you. He's a bloody moron for even wanting her back after how she treated him. You're right, you gave up absolutely _everything_ to help him out with Ali and this is how he repays you? By stabbing you in the back? I'm getting fucking angry at him myself now. How the fuck does he dare to say that!''

Dani heard himself take Nacho's side before he realized he had opened his mouth. ''Don't be mad at him, it's her fault. She's his weakness, always has been. He can't see any fault in her,''

''No Dani! Don't do that. Don't you go and defend him now. I did the same for Iker when he pulled crap like this. He has hurt you, and you have a right to be damn upset because of it. It's _not_ okay.  
Do not let him off the hook because you love him. That's not an excuse! Can't you see it Dani? Love is _weakness_. The more people you love, the weaker you are. Iker and Nacho are the type of guys who tell us all sorts of promises but then never keep them.  
They give us just enough to keep us on the hook, but when it comes down to it, they would leave us in a heartbeat and never look back. I haven't heard from Iker in three months now. No phone-calls, no texts back when I send them- fucking _nothing_. After all the things I did for him, and here I sit griping and crying over him while he clearly doesn't even care,'' Sergio spat out, voice laced with bitter resentment.

His vicious words had shocked Dani to his core. He hadn't known that Iker wasn't talking to Sergio anymore, or that he was ignoring him. It seemed out of character for his former captain. He couldn't believe that Iker wouldn't care about Sergio, considering how close they always had been. Iker clearly loved Sergio and treated him as his best friend.

To hear that he had just vanished out of Sergio's life haunted Dani, making him worried for his and Nacho's future. 

''Nacho _wouldn't_ do that, just walk out of my life like that. We have known each other since we were kids. I can't believe that he would ever do that to me,'' Dani argued faintly.

''That's what I thought too, and yet it happened to me. I hope you won't have to go through it, but I fear it's not looking good for you after the fight you just had,''

''But that was just a fight right? We have them sometimes, but we always make up,'' Dani lied. Truth was that he and Nacho seldom ever fought. The last time had been when they were children and Dani couldn't even remember what that had been about.

''I hope so Dani, but you said yourself that it felt like something had broken between you two that might not be possible to be repaired,'' Sergio said wisely.

There was an urgent knock on the door. ''It's me, can I come in??'' Isco's voice shouted. The wailing sound in the background told Dani that Ali was up and crying.

He quickly wiped his tears away and forced himself to man up.

Sergio nodded at Dani and walked to the door to let them in. ''What the hell is going on?'' he barked at Isco who came in looking absolutely wrecked, carrying the screaming toddler in his arms. Ali was wearing her pink Frozen pajamas and was struggling against Isco's touches, fighting him tooth and nail. Isco was holding her as if she was a hand grenade waiting to go off.

''She _won't_ calm down! Alvaro and I tried absolutely everything we could think of! I even took her to Karim but she has been wailing for two hours now. Cris said you were in here Dani, can you take her? She's driving me crazy,'' Isco pleaded as he shoved Ali in Dani's arms without waiting for a reply.

''You even took her to Karim?'' Dani heard himself ask, with the hint of a smile on his lips. Karim was the teams designated baby whisperer. He had the power to calm even the fussiest of babies down instantly. But apparently Ali had been in no mood to cooperate today.

''Yes! But she didn't even shut up then! I can't take it anymore, I'm going fucking insane!'' Isco snarled dramatically. ''Hey language!'' Dani said with a nod to Ali, who was picking up words and copying them eerily quickly now.

''Sorry, but can I go?''  
''Fine go! Jeez!'' Dani sneered, rolling his eyes at Isco.

Isco ran out the door as if Gareth Bale was chasing him and slammed the door shut. He loved Isco but he was always so wonderfully dramatic.

''Hola princess,'' Dani cooed as he kissed Ali's warm cheek.  
He wondered if she was sick, for Ali had never been a child who cried often. ''Da-ni!'' she replied happily, as her chubby arms curled around his neck and her lips pressed to his bearded cheek.

She held onto him tight while Dani felt her forehead and neck to make sure she wasn't running a fever.  
Sergio was singing a Spanish lullaby and the toddler calmed down rapidly. All babies loved Sergio's singing voice. The same was also true for adults. Sergio was a handful but goddamn it, the man could sing like an angel.

''Is she okay?'' Sergio asked between the lines of the song.

''I think so, no fever or anything like that. She doesn't need a diaper change, so I'm not sure what's wrong with her. Maybe she was just tired of her poor uncle Isco's stupid face, weren't you Ali? Hmm?''

Ali smiled at him and buried her tiny body even firmer against Dani's chest.  
She had always enjoyed lounging on his lap, but the way she was clinging onto him for dear life concerned Dani. Had she been having nightmares?

Was she afraid when she woke up and noticed that they weren't there? Her separation anxiety had been flaring up recently. They couldn't leave the room without her freaking out sometimes.

Or perhaps, was it possible that she had sensed that he and Nacho had been at each other's throats?

According to Karim, who read a ton of childcare magazines, babies sensed it when their caretakers were fighting.  
He said it was called limbic resonance or something like that. Claimed that adults had it too, considering that some people could sense it when their family members had been in accidents and such.

Was it possible that Alejandra had felt that something was amiss? That it had woken her up? No that was complete new age nonsense, he told himself. It sounded absurd.

And yet, she had immediately calmed down when she saw Dani.  
She had probably just missed them and had thrown a possessive fit where he couldn't be around anyone but them. The terrible twos were not always that much fun. Ali could have her mood-swings lately.

''Dani?'' the two year old peeped. Dani brushed her blond hair out of her face. ''Hmm what is it?''  
''Where is papa?''

Dani felt his heart being crushed by a giant anvil. ''He will be back soon baby, go to sleep now. It's way past your bedtime. Do you want uncle Sergio to sing you another song?''

Her blue eyes gleamed expectantly. ''Si!''

''Say _please_ Ali,'' Dani chided.

''Por favor Tio Sergio?'' Ali begged. Sergio leaned in and kissed her forehead. ''Anything for you sweetheart,''

''Good girl,'' Dani complimented as his baby curled herself up like a ball in his tight embrace. He held onto her for dear life and tried to ignore the feeling of goodbye that was lingering over him.

He worried that he would never get to hold her like that again, not after everything that had happened tonight.

Sergio had barely finished his song when Ali finally succumbed to a deep slumber. Dani's thumb suckled into her mouth as always. She preferred his thumb over her own.

Dani cried openly now but Ali luckily didn't wake up. ''I'm going to find Nacho,'' Sergio whispered in his ear. ''What? No!'' Dani protested.

''Yes, Pepe texted me that he's home now and looking for you. You two need to sort this shit out. For her sake! She cannot afford to lose another parent. Because you are her father Dani, she knows it and so does Nacho.  
You need to talk to him. Right now all of this is a bomb and when it explodes, it will be bigger than a war,'' Sergio retorted. ''I'll be right back, he's looking for you in all the wrong places,''

''Well of course he is, he would never expect me to come to you. He might be a dick but boy does he know me,''  
''And neither did I-expect you to come here I mean-but I'm awfully flattered that you did,''

''Well you actually did hand out some good advice,''  
''Maybe, but I was also wrong about something: don't let your heart become too cold. Don't give up on love yet,''

''But you just said-''  
''I know what I said, but I can be wrong too. Love is painful sometimes, but there's nothing like a little pain to remind you that you're still alive,''

''God you are ever so changeable, take a side for once and stick to it,'' Dani groaned.  
''Shhh don't wake your baby,'' Sergio pointed out when Ali started stirring in his arms. ''BRB dude,''

When Sergio left the room, all sorts of horror scenarios went through Dani's head. He and Nacho would never speak to each other again, Nacho would hate him for the rest of his life. He would have to move out immediately, kicked out like a rabid dog onto the streets.

Luckily he didn't need to dwell on it too long, because Nacho's face appeared in the doorway in no time, Sergio following in pursuit. Probably to make sure that Dani had all the support he could get.

Nacho was looking absolutely horrific, his face was red and puffy and his eyes were bloodshed. Dani took comfort in knowing that their fight had hurt Nacho as much as it had hurt him.

The older defender's entire expression softened when he saw Alejandra sleeping on Dani's lap.  
His residual anger vanished and Dani could tell that Nacho would be mellow toward him.

Eventually their eyes met and Dani felt his heart swell up due to the warmth and sheer love that he saw in Nacho's gems.  
It meant everything to him, to know that Nacho could still care about him, that maybe he wouldn't lose it all thanks to his reckless behavior tonight and his epically big mouth.

Maybe they would be able make it without growing apart.

Nacho crossed the distance toward them, sank besides them on the bed without saying another word and collected Dani and his daughter into his arms. Dani felt himself press his face into Nacho's collarbone, releasing his tension and sorrow.

Nacho cried too, dampening Dani's hair and shirt in the process, but neither of them cared. They hadn't even noticed that Sergio had left the bedroom.

They were _together_ , that was all that would ever matter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_TBC........_


	3. I am the shadow to your light.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nacho's POV after their fight in the restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being away for so long, life got massively in the way and I'm working a lot. Plus I'm going on holiday on tuesday so I won't have time to write then either. Anyway, I hope you guys like it. 
> 
> I wanted to do Nacho's POV too. things are changing for him.

_Nacho_.

 

 

 

When Dani had so abruptly left him in the restaurant, Nacho had been lead to the back by an ever calm Santi. Their old friend knew them well.  
Nacho had hoped that by taking Dani to their old place that breaking the news wouldn't come as such a shock to him, but as he did often, he had completely misinterpreted Dani's emotions.

Or maybe, a sly voice inside of his head whispered, he had just hoped that this restaurant would be a safe area and that Dani wouldn't get mad at him when they were in public.

Santi spend the next hour talking some sense into Nacho, creating a gnawing feeling of guilt in his stomach. What the hell had he done to Dani? How could he have said those _horrible_ things to him?

Calling him selfish after everything Dani had sacrificed for him and his daughter had been completely insane. Dani had _always_ been there for them, night and day, no matter what. In a way there was no one closer to Nacho in the entire world than Dani was. Not even his parents. They had been there for him during his childhood and he loved them dearly but Dani's devotion was special. Unconditional. Effortless. Being around him was natural and had a safe feeling to it.

Dani could have found a family of his own, raise some kids that were his and be happy, but Dani had put his own needs aside to be a second parent to Alejandra.

To be a solid support system for Nacho. Without any ulterior motives of his own.  
Hell, Dani was basically the most unselfish person in the world. Nacho knew that better than anyone. And yet he had called _him_ egoistical. The sheer disbelief and betrayal in Dani's chocolate colored eyes when he had said that was still haunting him.

After Nacho had relatively calmed down for as far as that was even possible, he said goodbye to Santi and took a cab back to the facilities. In the taxi he feared that the guilt would eat him alive.  
He had never been afraid of facing Dani, but today he was.

He had to make this right, even if it killed him. Alejandra had already been short one parent, she couldn't afford to miss Dani as well. And neither could Nacho, he would rather cut off his arm than lose him.

For Dani had been there his entire life. Through the good and the bad. Without limitations.  
He couldn't even imagine himself functioning normally without Dani there to steer him into the right direction. To cheer him on, to boost up his confidence when he felt like giving up.

Dani had never once deserted him or not been a loyal, devoted friend. God, Nacho was the world's most horrible person. He had never hated himself as much as he did today.

He and Dani never fought, the worst they did was bicker sometimes, but their argument today had been extreme. Nacho knew that something fundamental had been broken between them.

When Dani had looked at him just before he had stormed out, Nacho had seen nothing familiar in his eyes. There was no warmth left, no signs that Dani still cared for him. The gems had been empty and cold gray blocks of ice.

They were so immensely upsetting that Nacho could barely look at them without fearing he would shatter into a thousand pieces.

Nacho hadn't even decided anything about Maria coming back into their lives, he had merely wanted Dani's advice on the matter but had blown up when he heard him offend her. Despite the fact that everything Dani had said about her was true.

He wasn't certain that he even actually wanted her back, or wanted her to get to know Ali, but he had hoped to get Dani on his side. To get his insights, his ever valued advice.  
But things had escalated far too quickly, mostly due to Dani's jealousy and Nacho's unjustified protectiveness toward Maria. She really hadn't earned that.

She had no right barge into their happy family after two years, just to ruin the one good relationship that he had always maintained in his life. But she wielded a strange sort of power over him, one that corrupted even his purest of friendships apparently.

Nacho had always struggled to cope with Dani's romantic feelings toward him. He had known his younger friend had been in love with him since their childhood. It was awkward at first and a part of him wished he could feel the same, and yet somehow, he never had. Probably never would. No definitely never would.

Because Nacho was a hundred percent _not_ gay. Though somedays he wished he was.

Oh how it would make things so much easier if he could just give in to Dani and raise Ali as a little family.  
It was just the stupid irony of his life that the one person who actually deserved his love was the one guy he couldn't give it to. Nacho had struggled with that sense of straining guilt for as long as he could recall.

Part of him actually wanted to give Dani that gift, for everything he had done for them, but he couldn't create feelings for the right back out of thin air. If only that was possible.

To wave a magic wand around and change his sexual preferences. But giving in without seriously meaning it wouldn't be fair to Dani.  
He needed real love, not a nicely sculptured illusion.

He knew that Dani couldn't stop his feelings for him, after all you couldn't chose who you loved, but Nacho wished that he would meet someone else who could make Dani forget all about him. For both their sakes.  
He hated seeing Dani so unhappy, and being the sole reason for his suffering didn't exactly help his consuming guilt.  
Dani had girlfriends sometimes, but predicatively they never lasted long.

As the taxi dropped him off at Valdebebas, Nacho braced himself, wiping his eyes dry-had he been crying without realizing it-and left the car. He nearly forgot to pay, but an inpatient tab to his arm from the grumpy cabdriver brought him back to reality. He paid and quivered his way into the building, feeling suddenly ice cold though it was far into the suffocating hot summers that kept Madrid into their tight hold.

The first one he saw was, luckily for him, Pepe. He took him to his room and Nacho told him everything that had happened.  
Pepe held him and comforted him as Nacho wept like a little child. As if Dani had died and he would never see him again.  
In a strange way it had felt precisely like that. As if they would never be on speaking terms again.

Nacho didn't want Dani to move out. Living with him had been the best years of his life. They had had so much fun together, had grown so much and taught each other how to be good parents to a little girl. Nacho wasn't ready to lose Dani. He would never be.

Not him, not _his_ Dani. The only person in his life who had never deserted him or turned on him.

He had to fix this. Pepe said pretty much the same thing as Santi had. That he had to make it up to Dani, that he had been highly unreasonable toward him and that he would have to do whatever was in his power to fix it.

So he and Pepe searched the facilities but ended up frustratingly empty handed.

Until Sergio came by to tell him that Dani was in his room. Well that was rather unexpected. Nacho had searched everywhere but Sergio's room, seeing how that was about the last place that Dani would ever go to unless he absolutely had to.  
Apparently being furious with him made Dani deviate from his usual MO.

Or maybe, a sly voice in the back of his head whispered, maybe he doesn't _want_ you to find him. Maybe he will never take you back after what you said to him. You brought this on yourself remember? By being a thoughtless idiot.

Sergio slapped him on his shoulders when they halted in front of his door. ''Don't worry Nachito, it will be okay. You can still fix this,''

Nacho gruntled in disbelief. ''I can?''

Sergio nodded. ''Of course you can, as long as you're absolutely honest to him and apologize for being-well a little bitch-he will forgive you,''

''So far for you guys not taking sides,'' Nacho snorted, referring to Pepe who had assured him that the team would not get caught between their arguing.

Sergio was staring sadly at him now. Conveying his impatient face that told Nacho he was praying for the patience not to knock him out. ''What can you blame me? He's literally _me_ dumbo. All that shit I went through with Iker, fuck he's going down the same road right now.  
Of course I'm going to have his back. I'm just trying to look out for you guys.  
I don't hate you or think any less of you after what happened tonight, but you do owe him a massive apology. But seeing how Dani is just like me, he will forgive you no matter what you say or do to him.  
Because we're dumb brutes like that. We give and we give and in the end it's all for nothing but your benefit, instead of ours,''

Nacho swallowed heavily. Sergio's words hit home-hard. It hurt harder than a punch to his gut would have. ''I'm not trying to hurt him-''

Sergio shushed him. ''I know you're not and neither did Iker. I knew that better than anyone. And yet you do hurt us. The funny thing is that it's not even your fault kiddo, we do it to ourselves. You might be the one holding the whip but we are the fucking _morons_ who keep voluntarily tying ourselves up.  
Look relationships are incredibly hard, even friendships.  
But Dani is good and loyal to a fault and he has always been there for you.  
You just need to realize what you have with him and hold onto that. Don't let this destroy you both. He has earned more from you. Iker walked out on me and now barely even talks to me. Don't do that to Dani-please...''

Seeing Sergio Ramos, the eccentric, powerful whirlwind from Camas, pleading for him to have mercy on Dani's soul broke something in Nacho. He was touching the problem with a needle.  
Of course he was. He was right about things more often than his teammates liked to admit.

A hot tear rolled down Nacho's bearded cheek. Sergio exhaled deep and pulled him into a hug. ''Oh Christ Nachito, I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry. Please calm down,''

''Not crying-because of you-crying because you're right,'' Nacho choked out. ''Oh-really?'' Sergio sounded completely stunned to hear that he was right about something, which made Nacho grin through his tears.

''Yes you doofus, now let's pull it together so that I can go inside because the suspense is killing me,''

''All right, you sure you're okay?'' Sergio asked, as he pulled back from the embrace and wiped Nacho's tears off with his sleeve. His hands slapped his shoulders to boost him up.  
That was one of Sergio's best qualities, when he commended you on your qualities you had a feeling you could do absolutely anything. It was one of the reasons as to why he was such a great captain.  
He could bring out the best in all of his players. Wipe their insecurities away and replace them with voices of confidence.

''No, not yet but I will be, hopefully,''

''Okay, let's go inside,'' Sergio opened the door for him and Nacho stepped inside so quickly that he nearly tripped over the carpet. Dani was sitting on the bed, holding Ali tight in his arms. She was steadily sucking on his thumb again, as she always did before she fell asleep.  
It was as much part of her evening routine as a goodnight song or a storybook. Nacho knew he must look like hell, judging by the shocked expression on Dani's face when he saw him.

Their eyes met and to Nacho's relief, there was no residual anger in Dani's any longer. Dani had never been good at staying angry at people, thankfully.  
His eyes were liquid pools of warmth and sheer forgiveness, a hopeful sign.  
Seeing them sit there like that twisted something strange and new in Nacho's stomach.

It was a ritual they repeated every night, telling Ali a fairytale, sing her a song and watch her fall asleep on Dani's lap in the rocking chair by her bed, but tonight, it felt as if Nacho had never experienced it before. As if he was an outsider looking at it for the first time.  
The sight moved him more than he could ever say out loud.

Dani seemed to be at the same loss for words as he was so he decided to move toward him and slouch down on the bed beside him. Sergio had handily disappeared into thin air, leaving them alone.

Nacho was unsure what to say. What could he say? Words were _permanent_ , as Dani always liked to remind him. You couldn't take them back.

Apologies were just words in the end. The betrayal would never truly leave you. It was as if you suddenly got bitten by your most trusted dog. Trusting him again afterward would be nearly impossible to do, despite all of their years of loving you and never once having an incident.

Once trust was gone, it took ages to rebuild it again. In some cases it never got earned back. Nacho knew that he was the proverbial dog in this equation and that he had to prove his loyalty to Dani again. Assure him that he would never-ever betray him after this.  
Nacho cautiously folded his arm around Dani's shoulder, nearly acting on sheer instinct. Because touching him when he was upset was so familiar, it was impossible not to obey to his protective mechanisms.

Dani exhaled so deep that Nacho worried he hadn't breathed properly in minutes. When he finally spoke, the words scared the shit out of Nacho. ''Do you want me to move out?''

It took him by such a surprise that he felt the air being squeezed out of his lungs as if he was going through a giant orange juice machine. ''What?! No! Of course not. W-why would I want that?''

Dani stared at him, utterly relieved. ''Oh, uh well...because of what I said about her-''

''No Dani, this was _all_ my fault okay. Not yours. I explained everything wrong which is why you made the wrong conclusion. I don't want her back in my life, I don't want to be with her ever again. But yes she is my weak spot, as I am yours. I overreacted to what you said. I only wanted your advice on how to deal with her request on seeing Ali. I don't want to be with her romantically. I can't trust her. With anything. I would barely trust her to be in a room alone with you, let alone with Ali.  
Look, I love what we have together. There's no one in this world that I trust more than you. That's what I need to be happy. I can't lose you Dani, I won't make it without you. And neither will she,'' he said with a nod to his baby, ''You are the balance in our life, the one who keeps us sane, fed, happy and normal. I know I have a lot to make up for after what I said tonight and I know you think apologies are bullshit but I am going to say it and I do mean it Carva: I am so sorry. I was completely out of line when I called you selfish. You have a right to hit me if you want to. But know this: I will do whatever it takes to keep you in my life. I need you to trust me, even if I've just thrown it all away by being stupid. You're my balance, without you I'm like a ship lost at sea,''

Dani smiled at that. ''You always did like your bloody poetry far too much,''  
''Maybe, but that doesn't make it any less true,''

Dani laid his hand on top of Nacho's and held it. ''I know you mean it Nachito, relax. I do. But a part of me feels like I have nothing more to give you-or her for that matter. Look, this relationship has always been ninety percent revolved around you and your needs. _Your_ little family.  
Your wishes. I guess I'm just tired of giving and giving without getting anything palpable in return. I know you don't love me like that, and it's not your fault. I wouldn't want you to fake that just to make me happy, but every now and then I do need things too,''

Nacho nodded solemnly. ''I know, and I know I dropped the ball there a lot. That's on me and I will work on that if you give me a chance. I would just hate for this to ruin things between us-''

Dani chuckled, which amazed Nacho, who couldn't see the humor in all of this if he looked at it with the eyes of a comedian. ''Oh you stupid idiot. Do you honestly think that I would just walk out on you after one little fight? That all the trust would be gone after this?  
Give me some fucking credit dude, I've known you literally my entire life. There's no one on this planet that I trust more than you. You are not getting rid of me so easily. You can hurt me a hundred times and I still wouldn't leave you.  
Because that's who I am. That's how much I care for you. I can't leave you. Not even if I would want to. Yeah I'm still a bit pissed at you because of tonight and it will take a while for me to get over it, but I'm not going anywhere.  
You don't just walk out on your family Nach, and like it or not, you are my family. As is this little princess over here. Seeing how I love you both with all my heart, I'm here to stay. You will _never_ lose me. I'm here for you, always,''

Nacho couldn't talk anymore, not even if someone paid him.

His heart was slowly putting itself back together. The speech had thrown his entire world upside down again. Changed things, whether Nacho wanted it or not. He felt completely overwhelmed with unconditional, warm waves of pure love for his best friend.

He tugged Dani into his arms and clamped onto him for dear life as he let his last tears fall freely. Dani held him as his face was buried against his shoulder. His shirt was getting moist but neither one cared. Ali was stirring in Dani's arms and her tiny hand curled itself around Nacho's forefinger.  
Nacho was unsure how long they sat there like that, all he knew was that at some point his limbs were starting to ache and he and Dani simultaneously leaned back onto the bad and fell asleep on the covers, Ali tugged in between them. Their hands still joined loosely.

He desperately tried to ignore that stirring twitch that was roaming around in his lower abdomen again when he looked at their joined hands. What was going on with him tonight? Why was he gaping at Dani as if he had never seen him before? It raised questions that were to scary to think about right now. He had never felt so confused before.

When they woke up the next morning, they were covered with a small, thin blanket. Sergio had probably snuck in at night to make sure they were okay.  
And for the first time since last night, Nacho honestly felt like they would be.

 

 

 

 

_TBC......_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the end wasn't too cheesy. Did you like it? I wanted to make it realistic, yes Dani is mad at Nacho for betraying him, so to say but still that doesn't change how strong their bond is. It is a bump in the road and yes he is hurt but he won't just desert him. 
> 
> I hope it was okay. Sorry it wasn't longer but I don't have more time.


	4. And I've lost who I am and I can't understand why my heart is so broken.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Dani and Nacho's night together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being away so long, but as I said, I was on holidays in Greece. Which was awesome by the way. I'm so tan. Anyway, this is shorter than I want it to be but I've got more stuff to do today. Oh it also has a super cheesy end line but oh well. I liked it. 
> 
> I hope you guys are still enjoying this story. Things are changing quickly now. The next chapter will be Nacho's POV.  
> It will feature his dinner with you-know-who.
> 
> Btw the games aren't really canon. I know Dani scored a goal when it was raining like crazy and he did pull out his shin pads. I know because I was there for that game. But I can't remember who we were up against then and I'm too lazy to figure it out. So if that isn't correct: mea culpa.

_Madrid_.

 

 

 

The day after their emotional night, Dani scored a goal against Granada in the Bernabeu.  
He was soaked with rain due to the thunderstorm that had been raging in Madrid, creating a vibrant, cool breath of air around in the stuffed summer air of the city.  
For once Dani felt as if he could breath again.

Summers in Madrid were hotter than the fires of hell. The air would grow so thick, so consuming that inhaling could set flames to your lungs.

But when it rained in Madrid, and that seldom happened, it felt like the Gods had opened up the heavenly doors, causing the streets to rise inches in minutes. It was like a tropical rainstorm. Afterward everything smelled so amazing, so clear and fresh.  
The light scent of the grass increased and settled into your nostrils. To Dani that was the closest thing to heaven. Well that and staring dreamily into Nacho's gorgeous eyes whenever he got the chance.

Playing in the rain had always been difficult to most of his teammates, for it obstructed your sight and made the pitch far too slippery, but Dani had always loved the mayhem of it.  
He thrived during the wet games. Thus leading to his goal and them winning the game.

The first goal in a long time. Being a right back he seldom scored but when he made this one he revealed his shin pad that was an ode to his family while he was being hugged by his teammates.

They were so happy for him and Nacho was giving him a thumbs up from the bench, grinning like an idiot. That morning when he had woken up, Nacho had been nearly in his arms, sleeping like a baby. His head draped lightly on Dani's shoulder. Their hands conjoined. Ali tugged between them soundly.

Dani had so many conflicting feelings toward him at that time that he decided to sneak out of Sergio's bedroom without waking Nacho and Ali. He slipped out like a thief in the night.

But he couldn't face Nacho, not now. Awakening so close to him had moved him, made him hope for things that he would never have. Removing himself from the situation seemed like the smartest thing to do.  
He stubbornly avoided Nacho the rest of the day, and whenever he did come close he made sure he found an escape in Lucas, who had taken it upon himself to never leave his side after Dani told him everything that had happened.

So whenever Nacho wanted to corner Dani to talk to him, Lucas rescued him with some lame excuse. Lucas had always had a lively imagination and loads of creativity inside of him. Dani knew it was really childish to behave himself like that, but he needed time.  
Time to forgive Nacho for everything he had said to him last night.

Now after the game, when Lucas was going to the toilet, Nacho saw his chance and pulled him aside. He had always been so damn clever, it drove Dani nuts.

''So can we talk-you know about _anything_?'' Nacho asked, swallowing thickly.

Dani exhaled deep. ''Sorry Nach, I just need some space okay. I know I've been ignoring you all day but I just can't talk to you right now,''

''Okay I get it, I just want to know if you're sleeping at home tonight, or are you going to Isco's party?''

''Well I really should go, I mean he's throwing it to celebrate _my_ goal so I should make an appearance-right,''

''That sounds a lot like a question Dani. Look if you don't want to go, then don't go. It's not mandatory. You can also come home,'' Nacho sounded nearly pleading now and Dani knew this conversation was like another one of Nacho's mental chess games.

With him, _everything_ was complicated. Everything was well thought out and thoroughly considered.

Dani chewed on his lower lip. ''I don't know if I should, maybe I'll go stay at Lucas for a bit until things settle down,''

Nacho looked taken aback at that. ''I understand,'' he said eventually, after a long, tense silence.

''I'm not sure that you do,'' Dani retorted, his voice wavering.

Thankfully Lucas came back from the bathroom before Nacho could respond to that. ''Ready to go?'' he chimed, looking cautious from Nacho to Dani as if he was stepping into a minefield.

The dressing room was basically empty now, aside from Sergio who was primping in front of the mirror, dancing to Flamenco music on his earphones.

''Yeah, give Ali a kiss from me okay,'' Dani choked out as he hugged Nacho as brief as possible.  
''Actually, I was hoping you would take her to Karim's place tonight before you go to your party. She's having a sleepover with Melia,''

''Um why don't _you_ do it?'' Dani asked confused.  
Nacho was looking so damn thoughtful again. He always looked so fucking thoughtful. It drove Dani mad sometimes.

''I uh have to sort something out tonight. Have to meet someone,'' he said cryptically. Nacho was gnawing on his lips now too, they shared that annoying trait. Dani knew he only did that when he was truly dreading something. When there was something really wrong.

''Lucas give us a second please,'' he said to the older Spaniard.  
''Okay,''

When Lucas left them alone, Dani pulled Nacho down on the wooden bench beside him. He glanced over at Sergio but their captain was still blaring his music and paid little attention to them. ''What have you done now?''

''Why do you think-''

''Oh come on, you're chewing your lips off. They're nearly bleeding. You only do that when something is really wrong, so talk to me,''

Nacho huffed angrily. ''Oh so now you suddenly want to break your radio silence again. Whatever happened to you ignoring me?''

''Don't be a dick, you know that when you're in trouble I will always be there for you. Yes I'm pissed at you but as I said last night: I'm not going anywhere. You're family and I take care of the people I love. So talk,'' Dani ordered.

Nacho looked strangely relieved. As if he was genuinely surprised that Dani still cared about him. It was nearly insulting to Dani. Of course he still loved Nacho. He had been there for him his entire life. That nagging feeling of wanting to punch Nacho in the face crept over him again.

Nacho had never seemed more discerning. ''I'm meeting Maria tonight. I told her we need to talk,''

Dani felt that giant anvil crashing onto his chest again. All the memories of seeing Nacho kissing her, holding her, it all came screaming back to him in the most painful of ways. He felt his body trembling with anger. ''You cannot be serious-''

''Not for _that_ Dani, I want to tell her off. Make sure that she understands that I have no interest in having her back in my life. Or in Ali's life. There is no place for her in my family. Our family. Not after what she did, so-''

''Hold on Nachito, you can't just cut her out of Ali's life like that. We need to talk about that first.  
Whether we like it or not, she is legally Ali's mother. We can't just deny her the right to see her child. Yes she hasn't been around for her and that was a bitch move but we can't just tell her that she can't see her daughter. It might be good for Ali to meet her mother-eventually. I agree that she has no part in this family, but cutting her out completely, is that really something we can do? Or _should_ do?'' Dani mused.

''Jeez dude, I would have thought you'd been on board with this instantly,''

''Yes because you think that to me this is about you and me. You honestly think that I can't put Ali's well being before my own needs. Which is still really insulting by the way considering all that I gave her-and you. But I know exactly why you're doing this,''

''Oh, why is that?''

''To get back in my good graces. You're doing this for me. Not because you want to do it, but because you think this is what you need to do for me to start talking to you again. But you're wrong. I don't need you to make stupid, irrational decisions to do me a favor. I want you to use your head Nachito, which is usually what you do best.  
You shouldn't make any choices right now. Not like this. Not in your current emotional state.  
You're so afraid of losing me that you're losing your balance. You won't lose me- _ever_. I promise,'' Dani assured him. Nacho lowered his eyes and let a single tear slip down his bearded cheek.

Dani pulled him into a hug before he could stop himself, mostly because he hated to see Nacho cry. ''It's okay, you're okay. I'm here,'' he soothed.

Nacho's arms were constricting him like a python and yet the pressure felt incredible. Dani would never not love it to be this close to Nacho. It made him feel like he could achieve anything he wanted.

''What should I do?'' Nacho hiccuped in Dani's ear. Dani released him and held onto Nacho's arms, making their eyes meet. ''Go and meet her, just to size her up. Hear her out and try to stay objective. See what happens,''

''Really?'' Nacho was as amazed as Dani felt by his own words. The thought of Nacho walking right back into that bear trap was not exactly appealing to him. He already felt anxiety creep up in his chest, but he knew that Nacho needed to do this.

Plus he had to trust Nacho, if their relationship was ever going to be repaired. Without having complete faith in each other they were doomed. 

Nacho was craving for answers from her and honestly, so was Dani. Maria was his weak spot, so the chance of Nacho falling right back into her arms were very high, but Dani had to consider Alejandra's interest. He knew he was a great parent but little girls needed a mother.

He doubted if two fathers could ever make up for the loss of a mother. He hoped it was enough.  
But it didn't feel right to deprive her of a mother when she could have one.

''Yes, really. Look we both need to know what her intentions are, whether she is being real about wanting to be a mother to Ali or if she just wants to get you back. If she's genuine about wanting to be a mom we need to know and discuss it. I love Ali and I hope we're doing her right by raising her together, but I'm always so sad for her that she has no mother figure in her life,''

Nacho collected Dani's hand into his while the other went to his cheek to cup it. There was a strange glitter in his eyes that Dani hadn't seen in a long time.

Something he couldn't identify. ''Dani, listen to me. You are her father. She has two parents. And I know for a fact that she loves you just as much as she loves me.  
Look, gay couples raise kids too right? Those kids have two moms or two dads and they're glad with them too. Ali is a happy child, she has everything she needs right here-and so do I,''

Dani couldn't speak, his throat was dryer than a desert. He couldn't talk if someone paid him.  
Nacho always knew exactly what to say to bring him to tears.  
He was always so damn poetic. He sniffed loud and was unable to hold two tears back. Nacho wiped them off gently and pulled him into another embrace. A gentler one this time.

Dani didn't know how long they stood there like that, but it hardly mattered. He felt as if he could breathe again, as if things would be okay.  
''Are you guys coming?'' a voice behind them asked. Zizou was standing in the doorway of the dressing room, tapping his watch. ''They want to close up and the bus is waiting.''

''Yeah coming,'' Nacho told him. They released each other quickly, collected their bags and followed behind their coach. When they came back at Valdebebas, Dani picked up Ali.

Nacho told him he would call as soon as he had said goodbye to Maria.  
Dani made him swear to send him an emergency app if he wanted to be rescued from meeting Maria with a lame excuse. Nacho needed that, to know that he could use an escape hatch to vanish in if he wanted to.

''So I'll see you later tonight or tomorrow morning, I'm not sure how late the party will be,'' Dani said as he zipped up Ali's pink Dora bag.  
''Dude it's freaking Isco's party, you won't be home until dawn,'' Nacho grinned.

''Probably yeah,''

Nacho smiled hesitant as he asked, ''So you are coming home then?''  
''Clever Nach, but yes,'' Dani reassured him.

Nacho seemed immensely relieved and slightly shocked by that. ''Oh good. Give daddy a kiss Ali,'' he told his daughter, who wrapped her chunky arms around his shoulder and pecked his cheek. ''Hasta luego Papa,'' she cooed.

''Adios princess, behave yourself at uncle Karim's house will you,'' Nacho replied as he ruffled his hand through her dark blond hair.

Nacho kissed Dani's cheek too and Dani wished him good luck. He watched Nacho leave with a heavy heart. He said goodbye to his teammates and assured Isco he would be there in an hour and a half.

Dani drove the short distance to Karim's villa and parked the car besides Karim's favorite Mercedes that was parked in the driveway. He also saw a shiny, red Lamborghini that he instantly recognized as Cristiano's.

It was no surprise that when he rang the doorbell, Cristiano opened the door. ''Hey Dani and Ali, took you long enough,''  
''Hello to you too, what are you doing here?''

''Oh you know, Junior is at a sleepover with a friend so-''

Dani knew that Cristiano hated being alone in his house. He hated being alone _period_.  
When there was no one around to keep him company but his dogs he went absolutely crazy.

He would sometimes stay the night at Pepe or Marcelo's place, but usually he would go to Karim. Mostly because Karim was the one person in the team that never seemed to piss him off. They had a strange sort of connection those two.

They seemed to be able to talk to each other telepathically and there was an ease to Karim that Cris seemed to be drawn too. A certain peace that Karim brought with his personality that Cristiano needed in his busy mind to stay focused and calm.

''Are you going to let him stand there all night dude? Let them in for God's sake!'' Karim chimed from the hallway as he patiently shoved Cris aside to welcome Dani and Ali into his home.

Cris rewarded Karim with a foul glance, but his eyes were twinkling with mischief.  
Most of the times he was pretty serious but on the other hand he could be a giant five year old who pranked his teammates and pulled all sorts of jokes on them. Cris had always had two sides who seemed to be at a constant war with one another.

One was the side he had to be to keep up appearances for the outside world, that was the more stern side, while the real Cristiano was the one who loved to goof around. Who smiled a lot and seemed as careless as a child.

Or at least Dani _thought_ that was the real Cristiano.  
He could never be sure. The man was a bloody question mark to anyone but Karim.

Dani stepped inside and put Ali down on the floor. She instantly wandered off in Melia's arms who was sitting nearby at her princess table, drinking imaginary tea. A golden crown draped on her dark hairs.

''Uncle Dani!'' she smiled happily as Dani leaned in to peck her cheek. ''Hello Melia, how are you doing?'' he asked the older girl.  
''Bien, y tu?''

''Oh someone's Spanish is improving quickly,'' Dani complimented. He knew her Spanish was fine, but Melia was like her father highly sensitive to positive feedback.  
As he expected she was blushing instantly. ''Gracias,''

Melia and Ali went playing together while Cris gave them some apple juice. Karim pulled Dani aside to the living room. ''Are you okay? You're as pale as a ghost,''  
''Yeah you didn't catch a cold out in the rain today did you?'' Cris chimed in, sounding like a fussy mom.

''No, I'm fine guys,''

''Says the liar,'' Cris snorted unimpressed. He could sniff a lie like a bloodhound.

Karim tugged Dani beside him on the couch and Cris slumped in the empty seat to Karim's left. ''You can tell us, we already know that something's wrong with you and Nacho,'' Karim said.

''How can you possibly-''  
''We do have eyes kiddo, plus I saw your state last night, remember?'' Cris chimed in.

''Okay but I don't see how that's any of _your_ business,'' Dani said icily.

''It's not, but we just want to help. Look anyone can see that you and Nacho are not doing so well these days. And you're right it's none of our business. But we just hate to see you suffering through things by yourself. Sometimes it helps, to talk about it,'' Karim offered, looking so damn kind again. Karim was always such a genuine good guy. It was impossible not to love him.

The whole media drama that always followed him and that ridiculous bad boy image he had was complete madness when you knew Karim. There was not a bad bone in his body.

''Jesus I feel like I'm sitting at the psychiatrist. I appreciate the gesture guys but I'll be fine, truly,'' Dani said curt. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he fished it out.

''So rude,'' Cris sneered. He was highly allergic to people texting during serious conversations. Though he was just as addicted to his phone as the rest of them were, he disapproved Apping and texting at times like these.

''Sorry, but it's Nacho,'' Dani said, before he even knew it was him.

He opened the text and saw that it was indeed Nacho who had texted him. Dani knew him too well, he could virtually see Nacho sitting in that cafe all by himself, freaking out about seeing her again after nearly two years. His mind would be racing like crazy.

The text read, ' _I'm freaking out. What was I thinking? I can't do this alone. Fuck I wish you were here. I'm scared Dani,'_

Dani inhaled sharp, mostly to silence the fluttering butterflies in his stomach that had awakened at Nacho's sweet words. He wanted Dani to be there with him. What was he suppose to make of that?

Besides, Nacho never admitted that he was afraid of anything. Dani wasn't sure if that realization was a good thing or not.

His fingers danced over his screen. _'Calm down Nachito. Take a few deep breaths, in and out. It will be okay. If you truly need me I'll come rescue you, but I know that you got this. I have faith in you. Just stay strong and tell her what you want. You can do this. And I am with you. I always am,'_

His phone buzzed back a moment later. _'I love you,'_ Dani read. His eyes read it five times before they actually believed it was real what they had seen. Nacho told him that he loved him. Of course Nacho loved Dani, but in what way was he implying this message?

He had to reply to this-right? Type back that he loved Nacho as well.

''Dani? Is everything okay?'' Karim's concerned dark eyes were peering into his, searching for answers. Investigating him. It made Dani feel highly uncomfortable.

''Uh yes, Nacho is um-well you know,''

''We don't actually, but feel free to elaborate,'' Cris suggested sarcastically.

Karim nudged him in his ribs to silence him. ''Look we really don't want to butt in or poke our nose where it doesn't belong, but we want you to know that you can trust us-with anything. We are here for you if you need to talk about Nacho,''

Dani felt the words leaving his lips before he could stop them. He told them everything that had happened over the past few days. Everything. How Karim always managed to drag everything out of people was a mystery to him. He was like a conversational wizard.

''I'm sorry Dani,'' Cris said before Karim could open his mouth to retort to his story.  
''For what?''

''For yelling at you for using your phone,''

Dani sighed relieved. ''Oh that's okay, Sergio yells at us for far worse shit than that,''

''So are you writing back that you love him as well?'' Karim wanted to know.  
Dani shrugged. ''I don't know, should I?''

''Of course you should! He needs to know that he will always have you, no matter what happens tonight. It means more to him now than it has ever meant before,'' Cris blurted out, gesturing wildly with his arms.

''Okay calm down, I'll text him back,'' Dani typed a quick, I love you too, back and send the message. ''There, happy now?''

''Meh I'm never _really_ happy, but right now I'm going to tell you something that will make you really happy,'' Cris smirked. Dani raised his eyebrows expectantly. ''You shouldn't give up on your love for Nacho just yet,''

''What?!'' Dani choked out.

''There was something different in his eyes today. Something I had never seen before. Not just friendship. There may be hope for you yet,''  
It was a good thing that Dani was sitting down already for his head was spinning suddenly. ''You're fucking with me right?''

''No he's not, I saw it too,'' Karim helped.

''I don't even know what to say to that,'' Dani settled for an evasive answer by lack of a coherent one.  
He needed time to think about this.  
For once he had no desire to ask further questions about what it was exactly what they had seen in Nacho's eyes. Perhaps it would be better to elude the truth for now. He was already messed up enough as it was.

Besides, once he had seen Maria tonight, he would probably fall right back into her arms so this entire fantasy would be redundant.

His phone beeped again, this time it was Isco who was yelling at him for being late to his own party. ''Uh I should go, Isco is mad at me for being late,''

''You don't look very excited to go,'' Cris deduced sharply.  
''Will you please _stop_ analyzing me!''

''I wish I could,''

Karim raised his hand to silence Cristiano, which always worked. If the outside world could see that they wouldn't believe what they were seeing. Karim Benzema of all people, being the one person in the world who could talk some sense into Cristiano Ronaldo.  
Who could understand him with a single glance.

What probably helped was that Karim was one of the most patient people that Dani had ever met. He was very well equipped to deal with Cristiano's perfectionistic, obsessive and dramatic traits. Any other person would have told him to screw off by now, but not Karim.

He had made it his mission to be Cristiano's confidant, his platonic partner in a way.

''You are welcome to stay here if you want. I have enough guest bedrooms and no problem in telling Isco to fuck off,'' Karim offered.

Dani patted his shoulder appreciatively. ''Thanks but if Isco knows that I'm letting other people fight my battles for me I'm literally digging my own grave. I can take care of myself, but thank you for caring,''

''All right then,''

Dani hauled himself up from the comfortable couch and went to say goodbye to Ali and Melia.  
When he halted at the door he clutched onto Cris' arm, steadying him. ''Hey did you really mean that?''

Cris frowned. ''Mean _what_ Carva?''

''That you're never really happy?''

That question took Cris by surprise, he had probably thought Dani would ask about Nacho, but this he hadn't seen coming. His perfect sculptured jaw faltered. ''Oh, well...if I'm being really honest then yes. I did mean it,''

Karim was firmly holding onto his shoulder for support, sensing that this wasn't a good choice of topic for his best friend. His fingers were sliding up and down Cris' forearm as he moved his weight subtlety against Cris' side. Their shoulders were touching and so were their legs.

Cris didn't need to look at Karim to know that he was there, but his lips curved at the realization that the Frenchman had his back. There was always this certain comfort in their relationship. They knew each other through and through. In a way they were closer than a pair of brothers.

Dani felt a wave of sadness wash over him. ''I'm sorry Cris, it's so horrible to hear that someone as beautiful and successful like you can be so lonely,''

Cristiano smiled kindly at him and turned to face Karim. ''I might be unhappy a lot of the times but I'm never lonely Dani, I've got _him_ ,''

 

 

 

 

 

 

_TBC....._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So did you like it? 
> 
> I wanted to bring out Karim and Cris' relationship a bit more in this chapter. I always love writing about them, their BROTP is one of my favorite ones ever.


	5. Two stories.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nacho meets Maria after not seeing her for two years. 
> 
> Dani goes to Isco's party and has a conundrum to solve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry-sorry-sorry for being away so long again.  
> Life got in the way again and I've been working on my own book as well. I hope it was worth the wait. 
> 
> Oh and I have a massive thing for jealous Lucas so I hope you do too. 
> 
> also I love Dani being the mr fix it of the Spanish group. 
> 
> Let me know what you think please. Your notes and support keep me going.

_Nacho_.

 

 

 

After Dani had finally send him that text back that he loved him too, Nacho was able to relax a bit. Not hearing a response had been truly disheartening, especially because Nacho had meant every word he typed to Dani and he usually always wrote back immediately.  
Fearing he had once more screwed everything up had been eating away at him until Dani finally put him out of his misery and ensured him that they were all good.

Now however, it was time to start worrying for how tonight would go.  
He was going to see Maria for the first time in two years. He had thought that the idea would appeal him, but now that he was sitting here, after everything it had already cost him with Dani, it hardly seemed to be worth the trouble.

Was he ready to dive back into her mind games? Was she worthy of being a part of Ali's life? Of their steady family life?

Wasn't it suicide to bring an unstable factor into their quiet surroundings? Look at what she had already achieved without being around, he and Dani were already having problems and it had already cost Nacho their lifelong friendship.  
He couldn't let her do this. Wreck everything he had built over the past years. He had to stay strong in her presence despite being aware that she was his weak spot. His Achilles heel.

His nerves got the better of him when she still hadn't shown up ten minutes past nine. This was a small, secluded trattoria on the Gran Via in Madrid and he and Dani had often come here for a bite to eat during their childhood.  
There were a few people dining there but due to the early time it was still quiet.

Most people in Madrid went to dinner at ten, which was why he had asked her to show up at nine. He was pretty sure she was going to throw a fit and he didn't want people eavesdropping on their conversation. 

He fished the phone out of his pocket and did what he always did when he was losing his mind: he called Dani.

Dani picked up at the third beep as usual, the noise of the party blaring in the background. Nacho recognized the Enrique Iglesias song Duele el Corazon.  
Isco was currently obsessed with that track and played it until it drove everybody mad. ''Nach, hey what's going on?'' Dani shouted. The music faded into the background indicating that Dani was slipping into one of the guest bedrooms for some privacy.

''She's not here! She was suppose to be here ten minutes ago but I think she's standing me up!'' Nacho heard the panic in his voice and cursed himself for it. Why did he have to be so weak? Why couldn't he be strong like Dani.

Dani's voice was soothing and calm but Nacho heard that he had been drinking due to the rasp in his voice. ''Calm down, she _will_ come. Her taxi is probably stuck in traffic or something. She has no reason to stand you up remember?  
What she wants is to claw her way back into your life so not coming would be digging her own grave. She might be many things but she's not stupid. Take a deep breath, chill out and relax,''

Nacho hummed as he felt his muscles unclench slowly. ''I guess you're right. So how is the party?''

''Meh it's okay. Oh you won't believe who actually showed up?''

''Who?''

Dani chuckled. ''Toni! Lucas somehow convinced him to come. I don't know what's been going on with those two lately but I'm definitely going to find out. First I find Lucas in Toni's room, coming out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel and now this-''

Nacho nearly choked in his sip of water. ''Wait hold up-what?! They were _rooming_ together?''  
''Yes did I not mention that?''

''No, during all the shit that happened the past few days I guess you forgot,''

''Yeah I guess. There were more important things on my mind than Toni and Lucas. But to sum it up, yes they were rooming together and as I said, Lucas was coming out of the bathroom in a towel, looking properly embarrassed and blushing.  
He was acting like I caught them having sex or something. I have no fucking clue what is going on there but I promise you that I'm going to dig that out of either one of them tonight. Probably Toni because you know how Lucas can be.  
He could take a vow of silence like some monk on some days. When he doesn't want to tell me anything he won't so Toni is my best option,''

Nacho huffed unbelieving. ''Yeah right, you actually think that someone as stoic as Toni is going to tell _you_ anything? Lucas' favorite little brother?''

''Normally no, but you can't see how drunk he is tonight. I'll get it out of him, I promise you,''  
''And then you'll tell me everything right?''

''Hmm if you're nice to me,'' Dani mused, but Nacho heard the smile in his voice and knew he was merely bluffing.

''How did it go dropping Ali off at Karim's? Did she cry when you left?''

''Nah she was far too happy to see Melia, luckily she is so crazy about being there and seeing Karim and Cris that she didn't throw a fit over me leaving,''

''Wait, Cris was there too? Why?''  
''Junior was at a sleepover so he was lonely I guess,''

''Do they do that a lot?''

Nacho could almost see Dani shrug. ''I don't know. I guess. Cris said he is never lonely as long as he has Karim,''

Nacho frowned. ''Do you think there's something going on there? I mean the two of them fooling around during games is one thing, but him hanging out at Karim's house? I don't know but it seems weird to me. Plus it's strange that none of us knew about it, so they're obviously hiding it from us,''

''What are you asking? If I think they're doing it?''  
''Well do you?''

Dani thought about it for a while and Nacho could literally see the crinkles in his forehead contracting as they always did when he was musing. ''Hmm I don't know. Usually I would have said no, but now. I always saw them as a pair of brothers you know, similar to what we have with our group but after what I saw and heard I'm not sure anymore. I guess they could be together but I can't really picture it honestly. On the other hand, we live together too but we don't do it, so why can't they have a similar bond?''

''Good point, I guess we will have to dig into it when we pick up Ali tomorrow. By the way is Marco there with you guys?'' Nacho asked referring to Marco Asensio, the youngest Canterano of their squad.

''Yeah Isco insisted that he'd come and he didn't have the balls to say no to him. He looks up to him,''  
''Watch him for me, he's barely eighteen, he can't hold his liquor and you know how Isco and Alvi can be,''

''I know Nachito, I will keep an eye on him. But need I remind you that when we were even younger we already got drunk and partied all night?''

Nacho smiled at the memory. In their younger days they had been quite the party animals.  
Nacho couldn't drink due to his diabetes so he usually smoked a few joints to create a similar effect. ''Yeah _don't_ remind me. Those were simpler times, but I can't say I miss cleaning up your vomit,''

''Hey I said I was _sorry_ for that! What more do you want?'' Dani sighed dramatically.  
''What I want is to not ever have to clean up your puke again,'' Nacho teased.

''Fine, fine, you won't have to do that again,'' Dani said hazily and Nacho heard him gulp a few sips into his mouth.  
''Maybe you should stop drinking then, you already sound half drunk,'' he chided fatherly.

''That was water you giant _worrywart_ , I'm fine! I won't get so drunk that you will have to pick me up from the bathroom floor this time,''

Nacho smiled. Talking to Dani like this had relaxed him and took his mind of meeting Maria all at once. Dani had always had a calming affect on him. It felt so good to know that they could still have this, despite all the racket of the past few days. That they still understood each other like that. ''All right, I take it that you'll be crashing in one of Isco's guest bedrooms then?''

Dani grumbled. ''I think that would be smart yes,''

Nacho felt a sense of loneliness gnawing at his chest at the thought of not seeing Dani tonight after what he assumed would be a difficult and emotional evening where he would surely need Dani to soothe him.

His best friend naturally picked up his distress via the silence he left behind and said, ''Look if you need me to come over later tonight I will. I'll call a taxi and I'll be home for you. You're not alone Nach, I have your back,''

Nacho felt his throat close up and he swallowed thickly. It was all too much. The stress of the past couple of days and knowing what he was up against tonight was weighing him down. ''Fuck I want to get out of here, what the hell am I even doing here tonight? I'm losing my mind Dani and I just want to go home,''

''You're there for _our_ daughter. To see if you can give her a mother who is trustworthy enough to not bail on her this time. That is why you are there and nothing more,''  
Nacho felt his heart swell up and tried to swallow his tear away.

Dani had never said that before. _''Our daughter,''_ He knew Dani considered her to be his flesh and blood too but to hear him say it out loud was overwhelming.

''Nachito? Are you okay? Why are you crying?'' Dani asked, sounding concerned.  
''You said our daughter,'' Nacho eventually managed to choke out.

''Well she _is_ our daughter isn't she?''  
''Yes of course, but it's just-''

That was the moment where Nacho saw her emerging in his sight from the left corner of his eye. Maria was there.  
''I gotta go, she's here. I'll call you later,''

''Okay, good luck!''  
''Gracias, oh and Dani?''

''Yeah?''

_''I got this,''_

He heard Dani smile soft. ''I know,''

Dani disconnected the phone a second later. Nacho barely had time to think about anything for Maria had reached his table, looking a bit awkward on how she was suppose to greet him.

She was wearing a white simple dress and wore her brown hair up in a ponytail. She looked exactly how Nacho had remembered her and yet now that he saw her, he barely felt anything for her.  
It was like there were no emotions left toward her at all. She was just one more person in his life who had disappointed and abandoned him.

He rose from his chair to give her a brief hug. ''Hey,'' he managed to say after a long silence when she had finally sat down.  
''Hola Nacho,'' she said tensely, as she placed her handbag in the seat beside her and crossed her legs.

The waiter rushed over to their table to ask them for their drinks. ''We'll take a bottle of wine, do you want red or white?'' Maria asked Nacho, who rolled his eyes at her. ''Uh I'm a  _diabetic_ remember? Since when do I drink?''

Maria's cheeks flustered at her obvious mistake. ''Of course, I had completely forgotten that. Sorry, so I guess I will take a small carafe of white wine. What do you want?''

Nacho rolled his eyes at her. ''I'll take a diet Sprite please,''

Did she truly know him this poorly after all their years together? How could she not know that he never touched alcohol?  
Sprite was his all time favorite drink, everyone in the team knew that. 

In all their years together, Nacho had always been addicted to Sprite, he could only drink small amounts of it due to his disease though. Dani had found a way around that at an early age by making Nacho his own sugar free brew out of sparkling soda water mixed with actual fresh lemons. He bottled them up and stored them in their fridge.   

How could she not recall that? They had practically grown up together.

Dani would never forget that or offer him a glass of wine.  
The waiter came back with the drinks and in the entire time that he had been gone not a word had been said between the former lovers. Nacho was fuming. He already regretted calling her and asking her to be here tonight. What the hell had he been thinking?

When the waiter left the silence returned until Maria got fed up with it and broke it. ''So, what am I doing here tonight Nacho?''

''Unless I'm mistaken, _you_ were the one who begged me to let you back in Alejandra's life not me,''

She folded her arms together defensively. ''True but then you told me to go screw myself if I remember correctly. And now you suddenly changed your mind? Why?''

''I didn't change my mind about it. It was Dani who argued that I should hear you out for Ali's sake, so I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt,''

Maria rolled her eyes at the sound of Dani's name. ''God Dani again. Always _fucking_ Dani. You two were so joined to the hip that I was as much in a relationship with him as I was in one with you. What is so special about him anyway?''

Nacho felt anger flaring up in his chest. He wanted to smack her across her face for saying that about him. Though his mother had taught him to never slap a woman.  
He stared her furiously in her eyes.  
It was like he didn't even know this woman at all. Had he ever truly known what was going on inside of her head? He rather doubted it at the moment.

How was it possible that the woman he had seen as the love of his life seemed to know so little of him?  
''What's so special about him? That he was there for me when you weren't. Don't you ever _dare_ speak about him like that. If you want any chance of ever getting a spot in our family you will have to show him some more respect,''

She smiled maliciously through her teeth as a triumphant expression washed over her face. ''I knew it. With me out of the picture he finally found a way to lure you into his bed didn't he? I always knew it would happen one way or the other, that is why I left in the first place. Some things are simply inevitable,''

Nacho felt his cheeks heat up. ''What the hell are you talking about? I'm not gay nor sleeping with Dani!''

''If you say so,'' she hummed. Maria took another sip of her wine, that smug look still on her features.

Nacho was going to explode, he felt it bubbling over for the first time in years. All of that pain, resentment and residual anger was reaching its peak like a volcano ready to burst...

 

 _Dani_.

 

A few miles away from Madrid's city centre, nestled in one of the suburbs Dani was getting more and more worked up with concern for Nacho.

He had been pacing around all night, trying to enjoy the party thrown in his honor but he knew that his friends could tell he was faking it. Isco eventually gave up trying to cheer him up and focused his attention back to Alvaro.  
Dani watched them grind together in slow, sensual dance moves and felt jealousy rise up in his chest. He would never have this.

That inexplicable bond with Nacho that he craved so tremendously.

He would always just be Nacho's best friend. Though Cris and Karim's words had thrown him a curveball. They had said that Nacho's feelings had changed toward Dani. He barely dared to believe there was any truth to that. Hope was a dangerous thing.

Sergio was dancing around with Kiko, James and Marcelo but Dani caught him gazing at his phone from time to time, probably expecting a text from Iker. He called and texted Iker all day long.

Toni suddenly fell into the empty seat beside him, clearly intoxicated by the numerous glasses of champagne that Isco had slyly fed him. Dani felt Toni's slightly sweaty palm land on his shoulder. For some unknown reason Toni's hands were always a bit moist. ''You okay Danito?''

Dani nodded quick, trying to appear careless. ''Fine, why?''

''You look worried,'' Toni deadpanned. He was always so damn direct. It must have been a German thing, Dani thought.  
He never sugarcoated anything. With him everything he said was one hundred percent heartfelt and meant. Dani knew he had to change the topic immediately, he had never been much good at lying.

''Why are _you_ here tonight Toni?''  
The blond German raised an eyebrow. ''Why not?''

''You never come to any of our parties, so why did you come tonight?''  
Toni finally understood the question, his Spanish was not always that great and sometimes took him a while to catch up. ''Oh, well Lucas convinced me honestly,''

Dani had kept a close eye on Lucas and Toni that night, which was a hilarious distraction from Nacho and Maria. Lucas kept on begging Toni for a dance but the German managed to tactically surpass him with an excuse every time, leaving Lucas lonely and disappointingly pouting on the dance floor. In a way it was quite sad but there was something funny to it as well.

It felt really awkward to watch but due to the booze Dani laughed.

''Why won't you dance with him, he would like you to,'' Dani encouraged Toni but the German shook his head firm. ''No, I can't,''

''Porque no?''

''I _can't_ dance,'' Toni said dismissively, but Dani knew it was a lie. ''Bullshit! I know you can, don't lie to me. I've seen you dance during the Undecima party. You are not that bad at it. So you can dance with him but you are _choosing_ not to. Tell me why,'' Dani insisted sharply.

Toni blushed once again and eluded Dani's sharp gaze. ''I can't Carva, please don't make me tell you, it's private!''

''I don't care. He is one of my best friends, he's my big brother in a way. If you're going to mess around with him I will have to kill you,''

Toni swallowed thickly. ''I'm not trying to mess around with him, I swear. But I know he has hopes and honestly, he deserves better than me,''

''What the hell is that suppose to mean? You're not making any sense now man, this sounds like some grade A, cop-out bullshit,''  
''It's not, I promise you,''

''I don't get it, I mean he stayed over at your room the other night didn't he? You roomed together?'' he asked again when Toni obviously hadn't understood the question the first time due to the language barrier.

''Oh si,''

''So what's the problem?''  
''Nothing, it was nice to have him in my room. We talked a lot about things and I like Lucas a lot,''

''Then I don't understand why you won't dance with him,''  
''Something happened today,''

''What?''

Of course Lucas chose that exact time to fall onto both their laps, breaking the tension and placed his head on Dani's stomach. He eyed Toni closely and grinned. ''Come dance with me _Antonio_ , por favor?''

Toni smirked back at him, patting his knees gently. ''You just don't quit do you?''  
''No, so you might as well do what I ask,''

''Actually Lucas, we were having a _private_ conversation right now, can you wait two minutes?'' Dani intervened. He needed his answer before Toni slipped away and the mystery remained. Dani liked clarity. Knowing what he was dealing with.

Lucas sized them up carefully, narrowing his dark brown eyes. ''Bueno, come find me when you're done Antonio,'' he winked at Toni before he snuck back onto the dance floor to jump around with Marco and Kiko.

''So talk to me?'' Dani urged, before Toni would avoid him with some clever excuse. When it came to brainpans he and Nacho were nearly equal to one another. Though Dani felt that Nacho was a tiny bit sharper.

''Not here, let's go outside, it's so hot I can barely breathe,'' Toni pondered as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Isco's house had air-conditioning so there was no reason for Toni to be so sweaty aside from his nerves. Besides it was way hotter outside than it was inside.

Nonetheless Dani lead Toni to the porch, knowing his way around Isco's house like the back of his hand and sat him down in the lawn chairs. ''So tell me what's going on,''

Toni peeked around cautiously, as if he feared that Sergio and Isco would be standing nearby, hurdled behind a tree to eavesdrop or something.  
''So you're right, I do like Lucas. We did spend the night together in the room but nothing really happened. Not like that. I wanted to take it slow you know, take my time in getting to know him. And it went well. But tonight...''

The kind German swallowed thick and shut his eyes in shame. ''What Toni, what happened tonight?'' Dani asked tentatively as he placed his hand on top of Toni's to comfort him. It was a risk for he knew Toni didn't like to be touched all the time but for once his hand was accepted. Toni relaxed a bit.

''It's Isco, he uh-''

Dani rolled his eyes when Toni was so upset he couldn't go on. ''Fuck what did he do this time? He didn't hurt you did he?'' Dani could not imagine Isco hurting anyone, seeing how he was a bit of a problematic little shit but a good guy deep down.

''No, nothing like that! He just, well I was getting a drink in the kitchen and he snuck up on me from behind and wrapped his arms around me covering my eyes. For a moment I thought it was Lucas, that was why I turned around to face him. Then he-he...'' Toni was a stammering mess now, tears close to bubbling over.

''He kissed you didn't he?'' Dani's voice was dangerously low with anger.  
''Yes and I let him, because-''

''You thought it was Lucas,''

Toni nodded miserably. ''When I felt his beard prickle to my chin I knew what had happened and I pulled away. But the damage was already done. God how can I even look Lucas in the eye ever again? I ruined everything,''

Dani squeezed his hand a bit tighter into his own. ''Stop that right now. Look at me,''

Toni reluctantly met his eyes, his own blue eyes a bit red from the tears he had shed. ''This was _not_ your fucking fault okay? Isco did this. He deceived you, took advantage of your crush on Lucas to take what he wanted,''

Toni shuddered. ''Wait, Isco wants me? But I thought he's with Alvaro?''

''Oh he is but Isco is pretty _liberal_ with his relationships. He likes to take whatever he wants and while Alvaro get's jealous a lot, he will always forgive him for it. He knows that Isco only truly loves him, but that he occasionally has to share him with other people.  
I know Isco likes you, he has from your first day in Madrid.  
He finds you interesting and whatever he is fascinated with, he will have to himself. He's just a giant, harmless flirt.  
If he sees something he wants he goes for it.  
One way or the other. Though it doesn't always work, he tried to hit on me and Nacho too but that didn't work out so well for him. That said now that he has kissed you he will move on for the conquest is gone,'' Dani explained.

He could only imagine how foreign this all must have sound to Toni, who was raised with the belief that monogamy was one of the most important things in a relationship.

''I know it sounds strange, but it's just who Isco is,'' Dani pursued but Toni's face hardened. ''That doesn't make it okay! I feel disgusting and violated! I finally discovered my feelings for Lucas, acknowledged to myself that I'm into men as well as women and now this happens! Isco stole my first kiss with a man away from me. That was suppose to be my first kiss with Lucas but now I fucking lost that to the likes of him! Seriously? How is any of this okay?''

''It's not, I know you're right. Isco does owe you a massive apology. But there is no need to avoid Lucas because of this, he will understand if you explain this to him, I can promise you that,''

''He will understand?'' Toni huffed dramatically as he waved his arms in the air like Cris did when he was upset. ''How would you like me to explain this to him huh? He will be crushed and probably never trust me again!  
I kissed one of his best friends that I'm not even interested in before I kissed him? How will he understand that?''

Dani patted his back. ''Wait here,'' he said and he rose to his feet, feeling his head spin due to the four glasses of champagne he had drank. Nacho had been right, he should have quit drinking earlier but Dani had never been good at keeping pace or denying Isco anything.

Toni was visibly starting to panic now. ''Where the fuck are you going?''  
''I'm gonna get Lucas,''

''The hell you are! Get back here!'' Toni ordered stern.

''Nope, look right now this is still easily fixable dude. Have some faith in me.  
I can talk people out of being enraged better than anyone else and I'm the only person in this team who can always calm Lucas when he gets overheated. I'm a child of a marriage so bad that they nearly had to divorce Toni, I'm used to being the peacekeeper.  
Let me handle this and I promise that you'll have Lucas happily tugged away in your arms by the end of the night,''

Toni gave him a hopeful glance. ''You really think so?''  
''I _know_ so, just give me a chance okay?''

Toni sized him up carefully before finally complying. ''All right, go get him then,''  
Dani went back inside and found Lucas in Isco's kitchen, sipping onto a glass of water, looking bored and miserable. ''Come with me,'' Dani grumbled when he saw him.

''Danito, did you see Antonio?''

''Yes he's sitting outside waiting for you. Come on, I'll take you to him,'' Dani grabbed Lucas' hand and dragged him to the front porch where Toni was sitting like a statue, tension beaming off of him like radiating waves.

''Toni! I was looking for you!'' Lucas chimed happily as he fell in the vacant seat to Toni's left. ''Well you found me,'' the German said coolly.  
Lucas exhaled deep when he saw that Toni was still clearly upset. ''What is going on with you tonight, you look so unhappy,''

Toni stared at Dani for help. So Dani took another seat that stood nearby and dragged it to his friends. ''Look Lucas, something happened and Toni doesn't know how to tell you about it, so I will. Is that cool?''

Lucas nodded. ''Of course,'' he took Toni's hand into his and stroked it with a warm smile.

Dani took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He never liked these type of conversations. Where he had to be mister fix-it for other people's problems while he was nearly drowning in his own.

As he explained the situation he saw Lucas's face becoming riddled with envy, fury and dismay toward Isco. His hand never once left Toni's though, in fact it only held on tighter, offering support as he sensed that none of this was Toni's fault.

When Dani was finished speaking, Lucas' face was contorted to a tensed deep frown. ''I'm going to _kill_ Isco!'' he spat out as he slammed his fist on the glass patio table.

Dani hushed him quickly. ''Calm down, you have always known that Isco was interested in Toni. That was no secret. Now that he's got what he came for he won't ever go after him again. That is another thing we know for sure. It's over now Lucas,''

''Oh so that makes it okay what he did! He knew how I felt about him and he just swoops in and takes what should be _mine!_ How is that fucking fair? Next time I see Isco I'm gonna bash his fucking head in!''

''No you're not,'' Dani snapped.  
''I'm not?''

''No,''

''Watch me!'' Dani had never heard Lucas' voice like this. So full of held back betrayal and resentment.

He would not be able to stop Lucas if he had an army of soldiers to help him out. Lucas was going to punch Isco in the face and honestly rationally Dani knew that he had it coming.

So he would have to try another approach, a more elegant one. ''Fine then, go and hit him if it makes you feel better. But don't forget that when you were sick with a massive flu, Isco was the first person who made you homemade chicken soup and brought it to you. He spend days in your house taking care of you, do you remember that?''

Lucas expression turned milder instantly. ''Yes,'' he admitted reluctantly.

''So go and hit him if you like, but please remember that there's a lot of good in that kid as well. He just does stupid shit when he's drunk, he won't even remember that he did this tomorrow morning. If you want to punish him for it then fine, he has it coming, but don't forget that he has always had your back,''

Lucas grimaced sarcastically. ''Yes until he buried a knife in it tonight when he did that to Toni!''

''True, he did fuck up. What he pulled was unforgivable in a way. No one is denying that. I'm just saying go easy on him. It was just one small peck. Yeah it wasn't cool but he pretty much kissed all of us on the lips at some point during a drunk streak,''

''He did?'' Toni interjected, eyes huge with amazement and a hint of horror. He clearly hated the fact that to Isco he had been little more than a notch in his totem pole.

''Oh yeah, unfortunately,'' Dani snorted humorlessly.

''Uhm guys?'' Isco poked his head around the corner of the garden, looking absolutely gone. Lucas was cringing in the seat and Toni quickly took ahold of Lucas' shoulder, trying to hold him down. Isco luckily missed the signals completely and Toni only just managed to keep Lucas in control.

''What is it?'' Dani asked, keeping his voice as neutral and even as he could. Yet he heard the quiver in it. The suspense was killing him. ''Nachito is here, he's looking for you Danito,''

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_TBC......_


	6. Stay.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Nacho talk about what happened at the restaurant. 
> 
> Nacho reveals something shocking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is too short but time is slipping away from me and I have to help my brother move out of his house. So this was the best I could do with little time. 
> 
> Just a short chapter. But I hope the quality is okay.

_Isco's place._

 

 

 

 

''Nacho is here?'' Dani replied, feeling awfully shocked. What was he even doing here? They were not suppose to meet up at Isco's house, Nacho was suppose to go home and wait for Dani. Something bad had clearly happened.

Dani was now forced to test the level of his adaptability to the maximum. The most important thing right now was to divert Isco away from Lucas as soon as possible before Lucas would kick off, while at the same time he desperately tried to figure out on what to say to Nacho when he saw him. Luckily juggling multiple plates at the same time had always been his forte. Something he had learned from his parents complicated marriage. Being the peacekeeper was his specialty. 

Isco saw Lucas' predictable death glares and quickly averted his eyes. ''Uh yeah, he is asking for you, so can we go,''

''Okay, are you guys cool here?'' Dani asked Toni and Lucas. ''Fine, go,'' Toni said calmly. Just when Dani wandered off with Isco, he could see Toni's hand slipping into Lucas' and their fingers enlaced. It was such a cute sight that Dani felt a lump form in his throat.

He followed Isco into the kitchen and grabbed him by his arm. ''Hold up,'' he ordered as he smacked his hand against the back of Isco's head, just hard enough to make his friend yelp affronted. He had always been much stronger psychically than Isco was.

''Ow! What the _hell_ was that for?!''

''For going after Toni! What the fuck were you thinking! Lucas is so pissed that he's plotting your death scene!''  
Isco grinned sheepishly. ''What? I saw an opportunity and I took it, is that so bad? It's what I always do. Lucas knows that,''

''Oh sure because that makes it _okay_ then! This was a real dick move! You know how much Lucas likes him, how could you do that to him. And to Alvaro!''  
Isco's face was riddled with remorse suddenly.

As if the alcohol haze was wearing off and the consequences of what he had actually done sank in. ''Oh god, what the hell did I do?''

Dani wrapped his arm around Isco's shoulder. ''Well nothing we haven't seen you do before, but this was a fucking _low_ _blow_ Isc, honestly. Just apologize to them.  
Toni has already forgiven you, Lucas might need some more time but he will let it go-eventually. And whatever you do, do not-I repeat do _not_ tell Alvaro, you know how touchy he can be, especially when it comes to you and Toni. It was just a little peck so just let it slide. Telling him would only unnecessarily hurt him,''

Isco looked awfully small, standing with his head against Dani's shoulder, riddled with regret. ''I fucking hate myself,''  
''Don't do that. I don't hate you,''

''I think that makes you an idiot,'' Isco retorted, a small smirk hovering on his lips.

Dani snorted. ''You're welcome. I love you too,''

''Let's go see Nachito now huh,'' Isco suggested. Dani nodded nervously and followed.

As he arrived back in the living room where everyone was still dancing and drinking, his eye caught Nacho instantly. He sat on a lazy chair, Marco and Alvaro hovering close by to keep a concerned eye on him. Alvaro's hand was securely locked on Nacho's bicep.

Nacho looked absolutely horrible. His eyes were dark, hollow and red from tears and his energy seemed to be sucked out by that bitch. Dani knew that he shouldn't have let him go alone. It was a poor idea from the start.

When Nacho saw him his eyes lit up with enormous relief. He fled his chair as fast as he could and stormed into Dani's arms.  
Dani felt his weight crushing painfully into his ribcage but he didn't complain.

He needed to feel Nacho close. Needed to tell him that everything would be okay. That he wasn't alone. Even if it hurt him physically. Nacho couldn't speak yet, and Dani knew it wasn't necessary for him to say anything. All Nacho wanted was Dani's support. To hear that at least he tried to fix it, that the blame wasn't on him. That they tried to do right by their daughter.

Isco, Marco and Alvaro nudged them into the hallway, to avoid the curious eyes of their teammates. Dani stumbled into Kiko on his way out, which hurt, seeing how the goalie clashed right into his collarbone, but he ignored it. ''Sorry bro,'' he heard the amicable goalie shout, and he raised his hand to ensure him that he was fine.

Alvaro pushed them into a downstairs guest bedroom and shut the door behind them. Dani had never loved his friends more than in that moment. They could have made fun of them a bit, teased them for being codependent, but instead they supported them silently and gave them some privacy.

When Isco gave them a kind wink, Dani had to disentangle himself from Nacho's death grip.  
He pulled Isco closer and gave him a big hug. ''No matter what a giant shit you might be sometimes, I know that deep down you are a good guy and a true friend. Never forget that,''

Isco blinked at him, gaping. ''Thanks,''  
''Now get out of here,''

Dani nearly trembled over Isco's ugly zebra rug on the floor when he made his way back to Nacho, who was sitting on the edge of the bed looking like a statue. Dani fell onto a chair by the bed and cradled Nacho's hand in his own. ''What happened Nachito? What are you doing here?''

Nacho inhaled deep, eyes looking like empty carcasses. All the life that was normally residing in them had vanished. ''She-she's-I don't want that woman anywhere near Ali. I can't-''

''Hey, hey, calm down. It will be _okay_ , now start at the beginning,''

''Well after I hung up on you she sat down and ordered some wine for me and her. She couldn't even remember I'm a diabetic! All she cares about is herself! How long has she known me? Ordering wine? Seriously? Like how did she not recall that?''

Dani did everything in his power to prevent himself from snorting sarcastically. He knew that Maria's only concern would always be Maria, but telling Nacho that now would only have a controversial effect. Scoffing at her now wouldn't help anyone. ''I'm sorry,'' he said instead.

Nacho grumbled so loud that Dani heard his teeth clashing. ''What a bitch, I can't believe I ever wanted her back. She makes me look like a pathetic loser. Then if that wasn't bad enough, she accused me of being gay. With you,''

Don't blush now Dani, not now, he said to himself as he felt heat rising to his cheeks. He managed to subdue it just in time. ''Oh, I can't imagine that ending very well,''

Nacho snorted. ''Not really no. I screamed at her in the middle of a crowded restaurant, so that will definitely make its way to Marca tomorrow. Fucking great. I told her to go to hell and that she had no right to offend you in any way. But what I don't understand is why does everyone keep thinking that we're together? Just because we live together?''

''And probably because we also raise a child together. That isn't very common with people who aren't a couple you know,'' Dani said skeptically.

''I know that, but still. Why does everyone feel the fucking need to _define_ what we have? It's no ones business but ours! Why can't we just be happy as best friends and leave it at that? Why do we need to be gay in every equation?''

Dani knew this was a rhetorical question. ''Well to be fair: I _am_ gay,''

''But I'm not,'' Nacho chimed.  
Even after all those years, hearing that cut through Dani's heart like a slow, blunt butter knife.

''I know,''

Nacho's gleamed remorseful at him. Tears shining behind his eyes. ''I'm so sorry Dani,''

''It's okay, I've always known. It wasn't like it was the mystery of the sphinx. I know you want me to be happy but you can't give me what I want. Seriously Nach, it's okay,''

Nacho erupted into fury like a volcano. ''It's not! It's not fucking okay! You deserve more after all you did for me and Ali! I want you to have everything you want and yet I've kept you at a distance and for what? For what?''

''Because you still had hope you could get Maria back-someday,'' Dani reminded him.

Nacho's eyes were laced with icy crystals. ''She wasn't worth it,'' he said grimly.

''What are you saying exactly?''

Nacho took a deep breath. He sucked his lower lip between his teeth. ''I'm saying that she might have been right about you and me, in the end,''  
Dani felt his heart sink. ''What?''

''I think I might be bisexual,''

Dani nearly fell off of his chair. ''Wait-what?! No you're not!''

''The last few days I've been feeling-you know- _different_. Especially around you. It's been really confusing to me honestly. But I think I might be-''

Dani held up his hand to silence Nacho.

Cristiano and Karim's words were suddenly echoing back in his head. Despite feeling completely overwhelmed his mind cleared eerily quickly and his rationality kicked in.

Which was his defense mechanism. ''Wait, can we not do this now? Not after all we've gone through these past few days. Our falling out and all that. Look if you're genuinely in love with me then that's great, but right now you're not thinking straight.  
You've been too confused by seeing her again, by the fact that you thought you were going to lose me. How can you make a genuine decision about what you're truly feeling right now? Yeah that's right, you can't.  
Look, there's no hurry okay, I'm not going anywhere as I already told you a thousand times. If this is real then I won't reject you but I don't want you to make some sort of grand gesture tonight. Not on the same day that you allowed her back into your life.  
It feels a bit as if I were a rebound or something.  
It makes it less special. Just get to bed, sleep on it for a week or so and then we can take it from there. Doing this now would be reckless and irresponsible and the Nachito I know would never do that. Plus we need to talk about what we will do with Maria and Ali.  
We have no right to keep them apart. No legal ones at least. So can you promise me that you'll go to bed now and that we won't talk about this for at least a couple of days?''

Nacho was staring at him as if he were a stranger he had never met before. ''You always manage to surprise me Dani. I would have thought you'd be thrilled with this and yet you push me away again. I know I hurt you and that I broke something I shouldn't have, but I would have never thought you would ever reject me,''

Dani took his hand. ''I'm not, I just need a bit more time to process all of this. If this ever happens, I need it to be sincere and genuine. Not something to console you, or because you feel the need to be impulsive for once. You're a thinker Nach, I need you to stay in your role. And if you're truly certain this is what you want, I'll be yours. Forever. I would never reject the idea of us. But now is not the time. Not tonight.  
I've fantasized about this moment a thousand times in my head and not once did I ever say no. But what choice do I have? You taught me long ago that things only truly matter if they're _real_.  
So figure out if what you're feeling is real and then tell it to me,''

Nacho nodded. ''I guess you're right, as usual. I just-I had hoped for another reply to it,''  
''So did I, trust me. Now go to sleep. You're exhausted and we'll talk more in the morning okay?''

The noises of the party were dying down slowly, indicating that it would soon be over. Nacho curled himself up like a ball and Dani threw the blanket over him. ''Stay with me?'' Nacho's tiny voice pleaded.

Dani shut his eyes and searched the furthest corner of his soul for any remaining willpower, yet he came up empty handed. He wanted to stay with Nacho, despite knowing that it was a very bad idea, that their teammates would gossip the next morning and that it would only make Nacho more confused. How could he say no? If only Cristiano were here, his bluntness would have helped him.  
But he was not there and Dani had never been good at denying Nacho anything.

So he sank down on the other side of the bed, on top of the duvet, though he kept enough room between their bodies. Staying there was one thing, coming too close was a whole new level of stupid. Dani patted Nacho's back briefly and curled to his other side, so they lay back to back.

''Good night Nachito,''

''Buenas noches Dani,''

Dani did not sleep at all that night. Nacho's words had unlocked a shard of hope he had long learned to ignore and now wasn't sure that he was truly ready for. Would they have a fighting chance of anything real? Was he just Nacho's rebound?  
Or was Nacho merely giving into him for Ali's sake? The questions were driving him mad. Besides him Nacho was snoring softly. It took all of Dani's restraint not to lean in to curl himself around him.

He had never been so close to Nacho and yet so far away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_TBC....._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I disappointed you guys by not letting Dani fall into Nacho's arms just yet. It didn't feel right at this point, after all they went through in the previous chapters. It felt too rushed and I don't want Dani to give in so easily. 
> 
> Maybe it's highly unbelievable for guys to have that much restraint, but this wasn't what Dani wanted. Not like this. He needs to make sure that he isn't a consolation price. Yes he wants to be with Nacho, but not like that. Dani is still the most rational character I've written in a long time, so I wanted to keep him in character.   
> I hope it's understandable to you guys. 
> 
> Plus now I can work with some angst and awkward morning after stuff. Which will be Nacho's POV again I think. 
> 
> I hope you liked it, please let me know. Thanks for reading and supporting this! <333


	7. I want something just like this.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nacho wakes up to a surprise. An empty bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to update this you guys. ( yes I always say that but I always mean it too )  
> But I'm back now with a new chapter and I hope you guys like it. I got a request to put more Iker in this story, so I did. 
> 
> In this chapter I'm putting Nacho and Dani on hold for a bit. They need time to think about their relationship. So I'm focussing a bit more on other ones.

_Nacho._

 

 

 

Nacho awoke the following morning to the sounds of very familiar chuckle, coming from the kitchen. His eyes flew open and he sat up on the bed, noticing that Dani's side was cold and vacant. He had been long gone.  
It was already ten in the morning and Dani had always been an early bird. He would be sipping on some coffee by now.

A big part of him was utterly relieved that Dani was gone, so that he didn't have to discuss the awkward shit he had said last night. However, another part of him missed having him there and felt anxious that he was unsure if Dani had simply left the bed because he was in the mood for coffee or because he was angry at Nacho for throwing him a curveball about his feelings.

Nacho really should have kept his big mouth shut.  
He wasn't even sure about his renewed feelings toward Dani, so throwing him off a ledge like that had been really stupid and careless.

It had been simply an overreaction to Maria's words at the restaurant, he reasoned. Nothing more. He didn't really have feelings for Dani-did he? After all they had been through these past few days, he wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Perhaps Dani had been right when he asked him not to have that conversation last night. At the time it had felt like rejection, but now in the brisk morning light everything looked different and a voice in the back of his mind told him that Dani had been wise about it, not dismissive.

Dani _loved_ him, despite of what happened. That was the only truth Nacho could always rely on. Even if he didn't know himself anymore.

The laughter erupted from the kitchen once again and this time Nacho was certain about who he'd just heard. It was _Iker_. What was he even doing here? Wasn't he suppose to be in Portugal? Nacho stretched himself a few times and twisted around to his stomach, burying his face in his pillow.

He was still exhausted from last night. The fact that he had never been a morning person didn't exactly help either. He was always highly grumpy in the morning. A knock on the door startled him. He turned around to his back, folded a hand under his head and yawned. ''Come in!''

The door opened and Iker stepped inside. He was looking a bit pale, as always, wore a pair of jeans and a crisp white shirt. ''Are you gonna sleep all day long Nachito? Some things never change do they,''

''Hey Ikercio, what are you doing here man?'' Nacho greeted, as he left the bed to give Iker a brief hug.

He smelled like his familiar Armani cologne. Iker was a creature of habit, he had worn that same fragrance his entire career. ''I was in town for my mother's birthday and Sergio remembered that-naturally-so he invited me up for some coffee. I think he misses me,'' Iker grinned sly.

Nacho snorted. ''Misses you? Why would you think that. We certainly never notice that at all! I think he barely knows that you're gone,''

''That bad huh?'' Iker asked, all jokes eliminated from his face.

''No, _worse_ actually. He's been such a miserable, sulking pain in the ass. I don't think he knows how to function without having you around. He's so angry at you for leaving and he's taking it out on us. I know you had no choice but to leave but it hasn't been good for him,''

''I know he misses me, he calls me like ten times a day. But I can't change it now. I left and he has to adapt to life without me,''

''Easier said than done. Can you blame him for his grief? He's had you by his side for over a _decade_ man. You were always here to have his back, you were his best friend and then you were out the door before he could even properly say goodbye.  
It's a lot for him, being first captain of this team. Not having you there to confide in, to share his problems with. He's lost without you, and we can't help him. Our company isn't enough for him,''

Iker groaned. ''You're going to make me cry if you keep going like this,''

''Look, think of it what you want, but you coming here wasn't smart. He will only crash harder when you leave again and it's going to be us who have to pick up the pieces,''

''What was I suppose to do? Not see my best friend? I actually miss _him_ too you know. It's not a one sided friendship. Despite all of his annoying traits, I do actually feel a bit dead inside without him. I even miss his ridiculous flamenco music and him waking me up by banging on my door every time I have a siesta.  
He's my friend and I haven't seen him in months, so of course I was going to come over when he asked me to. Would you deny Dani if the situation was reversed?''

Nacho shook his head resolute. ''No, of course not. I'm not mad at you for coming here, I'm happy to see you and I know everyone here will be too, but I'm just worried about Sergio. He's been so unhinged ever since you left,''

''I know, Pepe told me,''  
''Of course he did,''

''What? He worries too,''

''Yeah, too much sometimes,''  
''Someone has to look out for you kids when I'm not around. I can't think of anyone better suited for that role-can you?''

''No, I can't. Hey can I ask you something?''  
''Hmm of course,''

''Did you ever think-that me and Dani were a couple?'' Nacho had to ask it. If anyone was excellent at reading people it was Iker. Maybe he would have known what was truly in Nacho's heart before he knew it himself.

Iker's eyebrows furrowed. ''What?''  
''You heard me,''

''Why would I think-''  
''Just answer the question. Yes or no,''

Iker was gaping at him now. Looking utterly confused. ''No, of course not. As far as I know you're as straight as I am. Dani is in love with you but not the other way around-right?''

Nacho chewed on his lower lip as he tried to divert around the answer. ''Honestly, lately I'm not so sure anymore,''  
''What the hell are you saying Nach? You're gay?''

''No! Bisexual _maybe_ , or maybe just into Dani. I don't know. It's driving me crazy!''

''Okay listen to me. You need to calm the fuck down for now. Take a few deep breaths, that's it. Now tell me everything that brought this on,''

Nacho did. He had to tell him. He had confided in Iker since he was young. Iker was a role model they all looked up to, that they all had absolute faith in.  

When he was finished, Iker had taken ahold of his arm and was musing on how to reply. ''Okay look, when I first discovered Sergio's feelings for me, I started having doubts about my sexuality too,''

Nacho blinked at him. ''You did?''

Iker chuckled amused. ''Of course, have you seen Sergio? I mean you don't have to be bi or gay to notice that he's absolutely stunning right?''

Nacho nodded solemnly. ''I guess,''

''So yeah I started to rethink fucking  _everything_ that happened between us, all the words that were said, all of his actions, but like you, I couldn't figure it out. I was unsure whether I was truly into him or merely enjoying the attention and adoration he had for me. He idolized me. Practically worshipped the ground I walked on,''

''He still does,'' Nacho interrupted.

Iker beamed. ''Yeah he still does. So I heard this voice in my head saying: what if you _could_ be with him? He's your soulmate in so many ways, you love him to death, maybe you should go for it. Just kiss him-once-and you'll have your answer.  
But every time I was close to him, saw those hopeful puppy dog eyes staring at me, I froze. I couldn't do it. I had no right to lead him on, to make his emotions even worse for nothing.  
I decided to let it rest, but I was still confused whether I liked him or was just addicted to the attention he gave me, attention that Sara hadn't given to me in years. After the Decima party though, he took matters into his own hands. I drove him home and he kissed me right then and there in the car,''

Nacho's eyes widened. ''No way?!''

''Oh hell yes he did. He fucking smooched me right on the lips. I was so shocked that I could barely breath, let alone react to him. When I finally found my brain again I kissed him back, just for a second, but I felt nothing. Which was my answer. I released him, he cried in my arms, knowing for sure it was a one sided love without asking me anything, and he stumbled into his house and didn't call me for a week.  
I tried to visit him but he slammed the door in my face. It changed _everything_ between us, but at least I had clarity about who I was. I wasn't into men. Maybe you are, I couldn't tell. If you want to know for sure, maybe you should kiss Dani once,''

Nacho could only stare at him, aghast. ''That's your great advice? To do the one thing that changed your relationship for good. Gee thanks man!''

''Take it or leave it,'' Iker grinned. ''But seriously Nach, it sounds like things have changed between you two. I want you both to be happy. Talk to Dani about it, be open and honest about it and maybe you'll surprise yourself. Just don't lie to him and don't you dare lead him on. I know it's hard to be best friends with someone who's deeply in love with you, but what you two have is too important to lose it. Hold onto him.  
I wish I could have held onto Sese, I miss him so much. It's like air missing from my lungs. It's not easy being away from that one person who knows your every hope and dream better than anyone else on this planet. Who knows you're coming before you even do. The person who finishes your sentence so you don't have to. Somedays it's unbearable to be away from him. I have my kids of course, but they don't say much back to me,''

''Yeah how are your boys doing?''

Iker's eyes lit up. He was clearly happy to be talking about something else than Sergio. ''Oh they're great, Martin is a curious little troublemaker who explores everything he likes, so he's covered in bruises and bumps all week long because he has no regard for danger. And Lucas, well he's a happy, carefree baby. He smiles all the time and he eats like a horse,''

''Cool, and Sara?''

''Oh you know, same old same old. She's still focused on her career rather than me,''

''I'm sorry,''

''Nah it's okay. How is your baby doing?''

''She's great, Ali has been asking why uncle Iker never comes over anymore and she follows all your Porto games,''  
''Aww she does?''

''Uhu, yes she loves her uncle Iker,'' Nacho smirked. Ali had always been rather attached to Iker and had demanded on following Iker's matches when he left.  
Isco knocked on the door and opened it before waiting for permission. ''Hey guys, breakfast is ready. Are you ever coming out of that bed Nachito?''

''Will _you_ ever learn to knock and wait for a reply? I don't think so. Some things never change dude,'' Nacho retorted dryly.

Isco shrugged nonchalant. ''Suit yourself, the pancakes are getting cold though,''  
''Yeah yeah, coming!''

Isco left with that renowned smart-ass look on his face. A look that Nacho hated with every fibre of his being. He loved Isco but the kid could drive you up the walls if you let him get under your skin.

Nacho stretched himself once more, put on one of Isco's ugly red, silk robes that made him feel like Hugh Hefner and left for the kitchen. He saw Toni and Lucas sitting close together at the dinner table, picking off pieces of pancake from one plate as they chatted away fervently. Nacho noticed that Toni's hand occasionally darted off to Lucas' knee and remained there when he thought no one was looking. He would have to ask Dani about that in a bit. 

Sergio was sitting at the head of the table, as he always liked to do in Isco's house, and was speaking with Dani, who winked at Nacho when he saw him. The smile on his face told Nacho that they were all good. He felt the knot in his stomach unclench instantly.

Nacho made himself an espresso, poured another one for Dani who he noticed had an empty cup and slipped in the vacant seat to Dani's left. ''Morning,'' he growled.

''Morning sunshine, sleep well?''  
''Yeah okay, I guess. You?''

''Okay too, get your breakfast, we're picking Ali up in an hour. Karim has to take Melia back to Chloe,''

Breakfast sure was interesting to observe. Alvaro was avoiding Isco, Nacho had a feeling he knew why. Isco would have probably told him about the fact that he kissed Toni last night. He could never keep anything to himself.  
But when Isco spilled some syrup onto his chin, Alvaro caved, pulled Isco onto his lap and wiped him clean with a napkin before pecking his cheek and cuddling him tight. Isco grinned triumphantly to Dani, who rolled his eyes at the spectacle. 

Sergio was touching Iker, who sat to his right, non-stop. His arm, the back of his neck, a tug at his hand. Nacho could tell it annoyed Iker but their former captain let Sergio be, probably out of guilt.  
Eventually Iker condoned that Sergio had taken ahold of his hand and let their conjoined hands rest on Sergio's knee. It wasn't visible to anyone but Nacho, who could peek under the table because he sat closest to them.

Sergio's eyes hadn't shone like that since Iker left. The love was literally radiating from his chestnut colored gems.

Nacho blinked a few times before he actually believed what he was seeing. Why would Iker let Sergio do that? He had said that he didn't want to lead him on, so why would holding his hand seem like a good plan?

He stood up before he could stop himself. ''Uh Iker, a word?''

Iker conveyed him with a disgruntled face. ''Okay,'' he untangled his hand from Sergio's and followed Nacho back into the guest bedroom. Nacho shut the door to keep curious ears out of his reach. ''What the _hell_ are you doing?!''

''What are you talking about Nach?''

''You said it wouldn't be fair to lead him on, so why are you holding his hand?! He'll get hope again, and when you leave we are the ones who have to pick up the pieces of his broken soul and put him back together. Endure his weeks of sulking because you left.  
You don't love him, you're just selfish! You're so addicted to the strokes he gives to your ego that you're not having his back.  
He's a mess and you enabling him will only make it worse.  
You're not holding his hand for him, you do it for yourself. Because you miss getting love and attention from Sara, so you use him to get what's yours.  
It's all about you! When are you going to have Sergio's back for once? He's your soulmate and this is how you treat him?'' Nacho spat out, furious at Iker for mistreating his captain.

Or maybe he was just angry with himself for not being able to give Dani what he deserved in life. Maybe he just feared that he would end up like Iker if he kept feeding Dani false hope.

Iker took ahold of Nacho's hand now. ''Look, you're right about one thing: I am _disgustingly_ selfish. I won't deny it. It's one of my biggest flaws. I have misused my hold over Sergio during the past few years. But you're wrong about the reason why I was holding his hand. I was doing that for both of us. Being apart from your soulmate is indescribably hard, not just for him but for me as well.  
When I finally see him again, psychical contact helps to lessen the pain. It heals us both. That's why I'm holding onto him for dear life when I see him. He knows there's no hope for us-romantically. Trust me I've been painfully clear about that numerous times.  
He knows. But that doesn't negate the fact that he needs me and I need him. He's my person.  
If I'd kill someone, I would call him to help me dispose of the body. He's the only person on planet earth that I would follow anywhere with a blindfold on. I appreciate that you're looking out for him, but you don't have to protect Sese from me. I've got him. He's _mine_ to keep safe, not yours,''

Nacho mused on that for a moment. ''All right, but if you really have his back you'll stay in touch with him more. Visit him more often man, you're in Madrid frequently enough to see your family. Don't forget about him when you're in town,''

''If you think that I ever, even for once second, could forget about someone as extravagant, loyal and passionate as Sergio Ramos then you're an idiot and that's not the Nacho I know. I appreciate you caring for both of us, but this really isn't any of your business kid,'' Iker lectured sternly, resembling one of his famed captain speeches he gave during halftime.

''That's not entirely true,'' Nacho argued stubbornly, ''when you leave and he's a wailing, unfocused mess it becomes all our business. When his job starts suffering from it, it's everyone's business. Like it or not, you affect him, and you are responsible for his mood,''

Iker smiled sadly. ''See, that's the Nach I know. You're right, as usual. I'll talk to him before I leave okay. But you need to do some serious thinking too, about the whole Dani situation. Let me know how that turns out okay?''

''I will,''

''Okay, go pick up your baby then. Tell Cris and Karim that I'll drop by their houses later today to say hi,''  
''Will do, take care of yourself Ikercio,''

''You too Nachito,'' Iker smiled fondly, as he pulled Nacho into another tight embrace. Nacho and Dani said goodbye to their teammates and drove to Karim's house in a comfortable silence. ''Nice to see Iker again huh?'' Dani mumbled when Nacho pulled up Karim's driveway. ''Yeah it really was,''

''What did you two talk about for so long?'' Dani inquired. Nacho felt his heart rate speed up. ''Oh, nothing special really,''  
''You're such a shitty liar,''

''I know right?''  
''So will you tell me?''

''I will, but later. We're already late and you know how they are with latecomers,'' he said, referring to Cris and Karim.

Cristiano had a strict zero tolerance policy to people arriving late. When you came to his house even a minute after the arranged appointment time, he wouldn't let you in. Karim was a bit more mellow with it luckily, but he also frowned on people being late.

When Nacho wanted to leave the car, Dani clasped onto his arm. ''Wait-are we uh-okay?''  
''Of course we are,'' Nacho assured him, ''we'll talk about it later okay?''

''Yeah okay,''

They rang the doorbell and were greeted by Cristiano's watch before he himself popped up from behind the door. ''Just in time guys, one minute to spare!''

''Cris, take that stick out of you ass please,'' they heard Karim say.  
Cristiano mumbled something back in French and opened the door with a sly grin. ''Hey guys, come on in,''

''That's better,'' Karim teased. He patted them on their shoulder and let them enter the hall. Ali and Melia were in the kid's room, drawing on a white board with markers. They jumped up to hug them when they saw them. ''Did you pack your bag yet Ali?'' Nacho asked and his daughter nodded. ''Yes, it's upstairs papa,''

''Good girl, go and get it then,''  
Ali took Melia's hand and they stormed upstairs to the bedroom. ''So how did it go?'' Nacho wanted to know.

Karim smiled as he poured them two glasses of water from the fridge. ''Oh great, she's a sweet, well behaved girl and they get along great. They went to bed at nine and slept quietly through the night,''

''Great, oh before I forget: Iker said he'd drop by you guys in a bit. He's in town and wants to see you both,''

Cris snorted unimpressed. His stunning features went from a warm summer day to ice cold steel. ''Yeah that's _not_ going to happen,''

''Why not?''

Cris' face hardened even further. His lower lip was trembling. ''None of your business, but let's just say that me and El Santo won't be hanging out anytime soon. Not after the shit he pulled when he left,''

''What did he do that was so terrible?'' Dani wanted to know.

Karim intervened before Cris would truly lose it and start smacking them. ''I think it's better if you guys take off now. No offense but what happened between him and Iker is between them,''

''But you know what it is don't you? He tells you everything,'' Nacho had to know the truth. It was so strange to imagine that anyone could harbor such resentful feelings to Iker, and as far as he knew he and Cris had always been quite close.

Besides, Cris wasn't the type of guy who held grudges against anyone. He forgave people really easily.

''Nacho, I swear to god, if you value your head you better stick your nose someplace else!'' Cris bristled. He clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.

Nacho had never seen him like this. Cris was superficially angry about a hundred times a day, but he always let that go within seconds. This was the type of fury that roamed in people's souls, the one that consumed them without mercy.

''All right, we're going, relax!'' Dani soothed desperately as he collected Ali and basically sprinted toward the front door. Cristiano slammed it closed behind them without another word.

Dani was panting when they walked to the car, clearly as shocked by all of it as Nacho was. ''What the fu-hell was that about?''

Nacho grumbled. ''I think Iker lied to me before. He's hiding something and I'm going to find out what it is,''

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_TBC........_


	8. You make it impossible for me not to love you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Nacho are joining the Spanish national team. 
> 
> Pique is there to stir some shit up. 
> 
> As if they didn't have enough trouble as it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was in such an impasse with this story that I decided to take a break from it for a while. I'm sorry for doing it but I had no clue on how to go on. 
> 
> I brought in Pique to spice things up a bit. To help give Nacho some realizations. The drama is far from over for our boys unfortunately. 
> 
> But I am promising a happy ending. It just might take a while. 
> 
> So here's another chapter from Dani's POV, which is always my favorite one. Oh I know Marco Asensio doesn't play for La Roja yet, but in my story he does.

_Two weeks later._

 

 

 

 

''The person who invented friendly games should be shot,'' Dani complained coldly. The plane had just taken off from Madrid and was on it's way to Rome for a friendly game against the Italians. Nacho was sitting to his right, in the aisle seat as usual, and nodded compliant from behind his book. ''I know right?''

''I can't believe we have to see that _asshole_ again, why is he even still playing for Spain? It's disgraceful,''

''Right?'' Nacho said, but Dani knew that he wasn't listening, not really. He was reading A song for Achilles and was completely consumed by it.  
Dani took it as an encouraging sign that Nacho was reading a book about a great love story between two men. Nacho had always loved everything about history. He devoured hundreds of books a year about the Trojan war, Odysseus, the Vikings and of course the great world wars.  
Dani barely ever saw Nacho without a book close by to grasp whenever his mind grew restless. Sometimes he wore his glasses, a pair that only Dani knew even existed, which made him even more insanely attractive than usual.

''You're not listening to me,'' Dani said, frowning accusingly. Nacho put his book on his lap and folded his arms together. ''To the thousandth similar rant about Pique? Gee I wonder why I wouldn't find that interesting,''

''Don't be a dick,''

Nacho's deep blue eyes softened a bit. ''I wasn't trying to be. But come on Dani, be honest, you can _never_ let anything go. Maybe you should try to learn accept people for who they are,''

''Sergio doesn't like him either,'' Dani said stubbornly, as if that was in any way relevant.

Nacho sighed, looking slightly aggravated now. ''Sergio is a lot like you, look I don't like Pique either all right? But it's not our decision whether he plays for Spain or not. It's out of our hands. El mister is the coach, _he_ picks the team. He obviously thinks Pique is a valuable asset to his team, a great defender so we have to accept that,''

''Don't be crazy, he isn't even half as good as you are,'' Dani scoffed. ''Did you even watch Barca's defense last year? People complain about ours but theirs is far-far worse. At least we _try_ to defend, they have midfielders as defenders!''

''And we have defenders who are basically offensive midfielders,'' Nacho said with a glance at Sergio, who sat a few rows in front of them. ''But I see your point. Look I know you don't like Pique, I don't either as you know, but unfortunately he's a part of our team,''

''We'll never win another world cup with him dividing us into two camps like this. That might be his end goal but I would love to win one myself, instead of hearing Sergio say what a great night that was. He's ruining our team, how do you not see that? You, who sees literally everything,''

''I _do_ see it. But we can't do anything about it Dani. He's here to stay, so all we have to do is make sure that his sabotage doesn't work. Talk to the Barca guys, show them that we take the high road because we're actually good guys,''

''Ugh I hate it when you're right,'' Dani exasperated.  
''I know,''

Lucas and Isco were sitting in front of them, listening to music on their headphones. Marco and Alvaro were seated to their left, playing a game on their phones. Isco and Alvaro were quibbling again, as usual. Dani wasn't sure why and he had decided to not bother to ask for the reason this time. It was always something ridiculous with them.

He fished his phone from his pocket and saw that he had a new email. Without opening it he knew who had send it. ''We got Pepe mail,'' he told Nacho.

''Of course we do,'' Nacho grinned. Pepe always send the entire team emails whenever they went on international break. Informing them of what he, Cris and Fabio had been up to, asking them to send in reports on everything that happened, not that any of them did, except for Nacho. He even included dorky pictures with them, today it was a pic of Fabio sleeping in the airplane while Cris pulled a funny duck face above him.  
Dani loved Pepe mail. Hell they all did. Though none of them would ever admit to it.  
They always complained about the mails but Dani knew that everyone around him was reading it as soon as they got it. Pepe had this way around him that drew people in. He was the father figure they needed. The one who kept them safe, who was harsh to them but just. He was always the guy Dani missed the most whenever they went overseas without him.

Dani was so distracted with reading his email that he hadn't noticed Sergio standing beside him, until his captain poked him in his arm. ''Hello? Earth do Dani?''  
''I was reading something, what's up?''

''Reading _Pepe_ _mail_ huh?''  
''Obviously,'' Dani snorted with a small smirk.

''Cool pic this time,''  
''Uhu,''

Nacho raised an eyebrow when Sergio still hadn't told them what he was there for. ''What is it Sese?''  
Sergio exhaled deep and gnawed on his lower lip. An OCD trait he had that indicated that he was anxious. ''It's Iker,''

Dani rolled his eyes at Nacho who shrugged. ''Again?'' Dani's voice was much harder than he had wanted it to be.

Sergio looked defeated and utterly desperate. ''He hasn't been responding to any of my texts or Apps since we saw him two weeks ago. I'm getting worried. Can one of you send him something and see if he's okay? If he responds I'll know he's okay,''

''Yes but that means he's avoiding you, won't that hurt?'' Nacho asked tentatively.

''Of course it will, but I'm used to his silent treatment. I don't know what I did wrong but he get's like that sometimes,''

Nacho spoke again, knowing that Dani wouldn't be very helpful when it came to conversations of the heart. ''Don't take this the wrong way but don't you think it's time to let Iker go? He made it clear that nothing will ever happen with you two right?''

''He did, but we're still best friends. At least I thought so,'' Sergio's eyes were shimmering and Dani felt a wave of compassion for his captain. He gestured to Nacho, who took the hint and left his seat so that Sergio could fall into the chair.  
Dani took ahold of his warm hand and Nacho placed his hand on Sergio's shoulder. Lucas turned around to see what the fuss was all about but Sergio shook his head lightly, assuring him that everything was fine.

No one said anything for a long time, they let Sergio be, which was often the best when he was emotional like that.  
He didn't want to be coddled or comforted with words. He knew what he should do, only letting Iker go would never be an option for him. No matter how much it hurt to love him.  
Dani could relate to that. People didn't get to choose who they loved. Dani send Iker a text, asking him to reply asap. Iker send one back within a minute, something that infuriated Dani. As a fuck you to Iker he didn't respond to his text, just to have Sergio's back.

''Iker's all right, he's not lying dead in a ditch somewhere,'' Dani stated coolly.

Sergio wiped his eyes, but Dani saw the angry twitch in his lower lip. ''Good, thanks,''  
He patted their backs as a thank you and went back to his seat.

The rest of the flight passed by relatively uneventful, the highlight was Isco pouring down a packet of roasted almonds down Lucas' shirt.

Dani send a few texts to his teammates, asking them if they were bored yet, and glared at Nacho's silent silhouette from time to time. They had been on good terms lately, though Dani often thought about their conversation from two weeks ago.

Nacho had given him hope, that maybe, someday, they could actually be together as a couple. Nacho had said that he thought he had feelings for him. Since that day Dani caught Nacho staring at him a lot too, touching him more than he normally did and he even blushed when Dani gave him something mundane like a cup of coffee.

Dani's problem however was still Maria. She had been absent for the past two weeks, due to Nacho's outburst in the restaurant but Dani knew that she would be back eventually.  
She was Nacho's weak spot. He didn't want to be anyone's second choice. If Nacho really was into him, he wanted to be the only one in his life. He wouldn't let Nacho get close to him before he was sure that Maria was the last person on his mind.  
Maybe it wasn't fair to keep Nacho at arms length but he could wait a little longer, Dani had waited all his life. What was a couple of weeks compared to years and years of longing and desperation.

They left the airplane and met up with the rest of their teammates in the hotel. Pique was already waiting for them in the lobby, Jordi Alba standing close by, looking bored. Jordi was all right, a bit of a spineless whiner but nothing like Pique.

Pique stepped forward and hugged Sergio briefly, who put on his poker face and acted like Pique was his favorite person in the world.  
Dani shook Pique's hand and wanted to leave it at that but the tall defender pulled him in for a hug. ''Hello Dani, how are you my friend? You look tired,'' Pique said, his blue eyes beaming with defiance.

''I'm not your friend, get the hell off me,'' Dani growled as he disentangled himself from Pique's firm grasp. Nacho pulled Dani back and gave Pique a sly look. ''He's just tired from the flight that's all. Nothing personal,''

Pique shook Nacho's hand and smirked wide. ''You're lucky to have such a good boyfriend Dani. He's always so protective of you,''  
Dani felt the cold anger coursing through his veins. ''Go fuck yourself asshole,''

''We're going upstairs,'' Nacho said stern, as he pulled Dani away from the Barca players and up the elevator to their room. ''Dani you need to cool off. You can't let him get to you. That's how he wins. Don't you get that?''

''Of course I get that! I'm not a _total_ idiot, despite the fact that I'm not well read like you. Don't treat me like a moron! I know he's just trying to rile us up. I just-god I can't stand that guy. Why do I have to work with him?''

''Because you're a professional and we get paid to do our jobs. As long as you let him distract you like that, you'll fail on the pitch. You need to control your emotions better, you're starting to look more like Sergio everyday. Even he can act like nothing's wrong when it comes to Pique. Why is it so hard for you to ignore him?''

Dani groaned. ''I don't know okay. I don't. He just-get's under my skin,''

''Don't let him do that. He's not worth it. He's just a pathetic guy okay, we all know it. Even Alba knows it. He's just a big troll. Just ignore him,''  
''I wish I could,''

When they settled into their room someone knocked on the door. ''Let me in!'' Lucas' voice cried out.

''Hold on,'' Dani had just came from the shower with a towel around his waist. Nacho had gone downstairs to grab some dinner. Dani was in no mood to see Pique so he stayed inside, he would rather starve than spend time with him if he didn't have to. Nacho would bring him some food when he came back upstairs, Dani knew it.

He dampened the carpet with his wet feet as he stumbled to the door. He pulled the door open and saw Lucas standing in the doorway, looking positively disheveled. ''What's going on? Come in, come in,''

Lucas stepped inside and sat down on Nacho's bed, burying his head in his arms. Dani quickly put on a boxer short, a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and sank besides Lucas on the soft mattress. He put his arm around Lucas shaking body. ''Hey, what happened? Talk to me,''

Lucas wasn't crying, he seldom ever cried. He was beyond angry.

Dani could tell by the erratic motions of his features. Lucas wasn't a guy you wanted to piss off, he could erupt like a volcano. ''Pique asked me if I bought my way into La Roja. He said he couldn't believe that El Mister would ever bring me in voluntarily. Said I wasn't good enough for this team,''

Dani felt hot lava building up in his veins. ''He said what?!''  
''Maybe he's right,'' Lucas said, voice hollow and small.

''No, he's _not_. Look at me,'' Lucas did reluctantly, ''he's not fucking right. Pique is the biggest mistake El Bosque has ever made okay? You are one of the best players I know, we work together really well. You can't let him get under your skin like that, he's not worth it,''

Lucas grinned through his teeth. ''Nacho, you've shrank,''  
''Shut up, this is me talking,''

''No way, this is a replica of the lecture Nacho probably gave you in the elevator. You hate Pique as much as I do,''  
''I don't hate him, I just think he's a waste of space. Nacho is ten times the defender he is,''

Lucas nodded fervently. ''That's _so_ true,''  
''What did Sergio say when he said that?'' Dani wanted to know.

''He told him to shut up, but you should have seen him. It took everything in his power to not knock Pique in his face. It's going to kick off soon if Pique keeps acting like this. No way Sergio will let him insult us without retaliating,''

''Iker said that it used to be fun to join La Roja in the early days, that they were all friends and everything was cool but every time we have to come here I'm dreading it so much. The Atletico guys are great, but Pique just ruins it for everyone here,''

There was another impatient knock on the door, a knock that Dani recognized as Sergio's. He opened the door and let their captain in.

Sergio was looking ten times angrier than Lucas. ''Hey,'' he bristled to Dani, and before he got a reply he stormed to the bed and folded his arms around Lucas, cradling him close. Sergio was whispering things in Lucas' ears that Dani couldn't hear properly.

When both of them had calmed down, Sergio released Lucas and tugged Dani beside them on the bed. ''We need to stick together okay. We can't let that _puta_ _madre_ ruin what we have here. We can't let him get to us. If he wants a war, we'll give him one all right?''

''No we won't,'' Nacho's voice erupted from the doorway. He was holding his keycard in one hand and a tray of sealed food in the other.  
He shoved the food into Dani's hands and sat on Dani's bed opposite to them. ''We can't keep doing this guys. We're giving him what he wants by giving him a war. If we're fighting amongst ourselves, we can never beat teams again. We need to let this go. Take the high road. Don't you see that his is exactly what he's trying to do? It's psychological warfare one on one,''

''Maybe, but I can't just let him insult you guys in front of me. Only _I_ get to pick on you idiots, not him,'' Sergio said fiercely.

Dani grinned. ''Yes we know you're very protective of us. But we can handle ourselves okay. We're not babies anymore. Or Canteranos. We're _adults_ now. You can let us go,''

Sergio wrapped his arm around Dani and pecked his cheek. ''And what if I don't want to let you guys go? What if being your annoying big brother, your protector as well as your tormentor is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world?''

''We know it is, and we will always need you for a lot of things, but we can take care of ourselves now. In case you haven't noticed, we're pretty tough too,''

''Of course you are, I taught you well,'' Sergio said, looking utterly proud, ''but don't forget, you guys will always be little brothers to me. Even when you're fifty years old. I grew up as a person thanks to you guys, it's in my blood to want to keep you safe and worry about you,''

Dani smiled wide. ''Don't ever stop worrying about us. No matter how much we complain about it,''  
''You got it,'' Sergio assured him.

When the tension had evaporated and the mood was relatively relaxed Sergio and Lucas went back to their own rooms. That night Nacho read a book and Dani watched some TV. They called Ali to wish her a goodnight and said hello to Nacho's mom, who was watching her.

That night when Nacho's light had gone out and he was fast asleep, Dani was wide awake. The upcoming games and the disarray in the group were eating at him. He had never liked it when people around him were fighting. The tension it gave him created a lot of stress. He sighed deeply as he discovered that the hundredth position he tried on the bed also failed to get him some sleep.  
He was thrashing around like a killer whale in a tank in sea world. Insomnia had always plagued him, ever since he was a kid.

As he placed his head on his pillow, sticking to his stomach, which was his favorite position, he heard Nacho moving nearby. ''You should sleep, it's gonna be a long day tomorrow,''

''I can't sleep,''

''Obviously,'' Nacho noted dryly. ''Can I do anything to help?''

_Yes, come lay with me and hold me. Kiss me until my lips are swollen. Tell me you love me and only me._

Dani had to literally force those thoughts out of his head. ''No, I'm good,''

_''Liar,''_

''Well what do you want me to say Nach?''

''I want you to tell me how I can help you,''

Dani sat up in his bed and rested his back against the headboard. He gazed at Nacho's silhouette that was illumined by the tiny ray of moonlight that peaked through the curtains. Nacho was sitting up too, he was hugging his knees, something he did when he was feeling vulnerable.

Dani scraped his throat and forced the words out of his mouth. ''You can't help me. Not until you figure out what _you_ really want,''  
Nacho swallowed audibly. ''What if, tonight, I just want to help my best friend get some sleep,''

''How do you want to do that?''  
Nacho pulled back his blankets and stood in front of Dani's bed. ''Scoot over,'' he ordered, but his voice was wavering and his cheeks were flushed.

Dani could only stare at him, no coherent though entering his mind. ''Seriously?''  
''What? It helped when you were little and having nightmares didn't it? We used to share a cot together on training camp all the time,''

''Well yeah, but we're not on camp or little kids anymore dude,''  
''So?''

Dani swore under his tongue. Nacho could be so relentless sometimes. He never let anything slide. Nacho noticed his hesitation and decided that it was his queue to just get into the bed without waiting for an invitation. ''Happy now?'' Dani grumbled as he turned his back to Nacho, who got comfortable on his side, his breath landing repeatedly on Dani's neck. Which was highly distracting.

''Not until you are asleep. If you don't get some rest you'll be a wreck tomorrow and the trainers will eat you alive,''  
''So let them. I'll deal with it,''

''Dani, what's going on with you lately?''

''What are you rambling about?''

''You've been so distant with me since I told you about-well you know. What are you so afraid of?''  
''I'm not afraid,''

''You are, this is textbook hurt and scared Dani. I didn't think you would act like this when I told you that I had feelings for you. I thought you'd be happy, that-''  
''That what? That I'd fall into your arms and we would ride into the sunset without a care in the world?''

''Yeah something like that,''

Dani snorted. Nacho had always been a hopeless romantic. ''Nach, that only works like that in the fucking movies okay? You're right that I've been keeping you at arm's length, but I have to,''

Nacho shifted a bit closer to Dani so that their bodies were connecting. His arm slowly curled around his waist, anxiously as if he feared Dani would hit it away. Dani allowed it. He was weak after all. He would always be defenseless when it came to Nacho. ''Why do you think you have to do that?'' Nacho whispered in his ear.

Dani felt tears stinging in his weary eyes. He was completely exhausted. Keeping Nacho at a distance had been eating away at him for two weeks now. He hated doing it. Even if it was for his own good.

He knew Nacho would never let this go until he had replied, but the lump in his throat made it hard to speak. ''I can't-get over you-'' he choked out. A tear slid down his cheek.

''What do you mean Dani?''

''If we cross that final line and you don't want me, things will never be the same again-ever. What we've built will be gone. You, me and Ali, we won't be a family anymore,''

''Why wouldn't I want you?''

''Because of _her,''_  
Nacho sighed sadly. ''I haven't heard from her in two weeks,''

''No, but what if she comes back, begging for another chance? Telling you that she loves you and that she'll change. Can you promise me that you would instantly reject her, that you would choose me over her without batting an eye?''

The deafening silence told Dani all he needed to hear. ''Yeah that's what I thought. And that's exactly why I _can't_ do this Nach. I just-I can't. I won't get over you, all right? You and her would ride into the sunset and I will be here, alone, forced to spend forever longing after someone I can't ever have. I can't believe that your feelings for me are real, not when I'm still convinced that you're still in love with her,''

Nacho scraped his throat. His voice crumbled. ''But I do have feelings for you. And they _are_ real,''

''How can you know? Honestly,''

Nacho collected Dani a bit closer to his chest and turned him around so they were face to face. His shivering hand landed on Dani's bearded cheek. ''She insulted you, degraded you in front of me. I don't ever want her back in my life. I'm not in love with her anymore. She crossed the line when she said what she said. I'll never forgive her for it. It's you I want Dani, not her. Never again,''

Nacho was so close, too close. If Dani leaned in now he could get everything he ever dreamed of. Then why was he so afraid? His scorching hand was burning into Dani's skin. It was too much.  
His resistance was crumbling. ''Nachito, if we do this, there's no going back-you have to be sure-'' Dani stammered as his hands slid into Nacho's soft hair. Nacho kept coming closer, his arms and legs tangling together with Dani's.

Dani's heart was hammering in his chest. He was burning feverishly with desire that had been dormant for years but was now bubbling up rapidly. Building. Consuming.

Suddenly images of Sergio popped into his mind. Memories of Dani comforting him after Iker had broken his heart yet again, not meaning too of course but doing it nonetheless.  
Dani standing nearby to pick up the pieces, to hold Sergio close as he cried and cried until he had no more tears to shed. This couldn't be Dani's fate. But it would be if they did this.  
He would lose his daughter, the man he loved and the house he had worked so hard to built.

Nacho leaned in a bit but Dani felt his body recoil. He slid out of the bed, put on a pair of socks and stormed to the door. ''Dani! Wait, what are you-'' Nacho yelled, looking completely confused by the sudden turn of events.

''I can't Nachito, I'm sorry. I just can't. Not yet. It's not the right time,''  
''Where the hell are you going?''

''Sleep somewhere else,''  
''You can stay, I'll move back to my own bed-''

''No, I know where I have to go, don't worry. Go to sleep Nach, see you in the morning,''  
Nacho stared at him as if Dani had just broken his heart and carved it out of his chest with a butter knife. ''I'm sorry,'' Dani offered, before he put on a hoody and slammed the hotel door shut behind him.

His feet carried him to the one place he would find solace right now. To the only person who would understand what he was going through.

He knocked on the door and waited a long time before it opened. Sergio's face appeared in the doorway, his hair all tousled and mushy. His eyes were red and sleepy. He squinted them against the bright light that came from the hallway. ''What happened?'' he blurted out, voice hoarse.

Dani burst out into tears, losing the ability to speak all together. Sergio tugged him inside, laid him on the vacant bed and held him until he eventually fell asleep around dawn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_TBC......._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I had two endings for this, one was where Dani just thought to hell with this and kissed Nacho, but at the last second I decided not to do that. I feel it wouldn't be realistic. It's not time yet. Nacho still hasn't figured out his feelings and Dani knows it. 
> 
> It will take more of an effort to assure Dani that he's the only one for him.  
> Oh and how awesome is Sergio in this chapter? I love big brother Sergio. 
> 
> And don't we all kinda loathe pique? I know I do. Which is why he's probably portrayed more negatively here than he is in normal life, but I sincerely do not get why he plays for Spain if he hates it so much. 
> 
> Dani will get a break soon, promise. The hurting will stop very soon. Nacho's working through some stuff. He'll figure it out.


	9. I once was blind but now I see.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pique takes things a bit too far during training. But that only brings Dani and Nacho even closer together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was fast right? Two chapters in a couple of days. I either make you wait super long or update twice in three days. Why can't I be more consistent? Oh well. 
> 
> At least I made another long chapter. 
> 
> Hope you guys like it.

_Nacho_.

 

 

When Nacho's alarm went off at five minutes till seven he could barely remember falling asleep seeing how he'd been awake till five when Dani had stormed out on him.  
He couldn't sleep and was twisting and turning in his bed, rethinking and analyzing their entire conversation, wondering where he'd gone wrong.

Well he knew what he'd done wrong obviously, he should have assured Dani instantly that Maria would never be a threat to him.

In his silence he had conveyed to Dani that subconsciously he still wasn't ready to let her go. Which was strange because these days, Nacho barely thought of her anymore. The only person that always seemed to be on his mind lately had been Dani.

Nacho saw him in his dreams, where things were ten times more effortless and easier than they were in real life.  
In his dreams Dani never rejected his affections. He just accepted him, took him in his arms and kissed him senseless.

Last night he'd been so close, so close to kissing Dani and giving him everything he had always wanted.  
Everything that he so desperately needed now as well.  
But Dani had over thought things as usual and choked, got scared and ran off to Sergio's room for comfort. That was the only logical place that Dani would go, Nacho knew it.

Sergio was after all the only person in their group who was in the same boat as Dani was.  
Though if it were up to Nacho, Dani didn't _need_ to be in that boat anymore. He was ready to give himself to Dani, he was so excited about it and yet Dani insisted on keeping him at bay, for his own good.  
Nacho got it, truly, he wasn't an idiot after all. But why did it had to hurt so much?

He turned to his stomach and checked his phone for any messages from Dani, but there were none. When he clasped onto his pillow he realized that he could still smell the faint scent of Dani's cologne on the sheets.  
He was lying in Dani's bed after all.  
He'd stayed in there for comfort, hoping that the ghost of Dani's body would somehow soothe him. It didn't, not really. All Nacho felt in his heart was the empty sting of knowing that Dani wasn't there.

Someone was knocking on his door. For a second he was hopeful that Dani had returned to him, however the two knocks told him that it wasn't him. Dani always knocked three times. It was probably Isco, or Lucas. He put on a robe and stumbled to the door.

He was so incredibly tired that he worried how he was ever going to make it through an intensive day of training. Every limb in his body ached, complaining to him that they needed more sleep to properly function.

He yawned when he opened the door. Not Isco, nor Lucas, but Marco appeared in the doorway. ''Hola, holy shit you look like hell,'' Marco gasped when he saw Nacho's disheveled state.

''Oh thanks I hadn't noticed, come on in,'' Nacho grumbled sarcastically.  
Marco slipped inside and sat down at the desk, looking pensive. ''I didn't wake you did I? It's about time for breakfast,''

''No you didn't my alarm _just_ went off, I just slept really crappy,''

''Sorry man. Hey where's Dani?''

Nacho sighed deep and sank into the vacant seat to Marco's left, drinking a bottle of water from the fridge. He was always super thirsty when he woke up. Probably because he drooled a lot. ''He stayed at Sergio's room,''

Marco pursed his lips together into a compassionate half smile. ''Oh, I see. Do you want to talk about it?''  
''Not even a little bit,''

''I'm a good listener you know, I understand more than most people think,''

Nacho patted the youngster's shoulder. ''Oh I know you do. You're far more clever than people give you credit for. And you're really wise for your age, but I don't want to lay my personal crap on anyone else but me this time. I have to fix this on my own,''

''Well if you change your mind you know where to find me. And you will fix it Nach, you're the smartest guy I know. You'll find a way, plus whatever happened with you and Dani, he will come around. There's no one on this planet he loves more than you. He would do anything for you,''

Nacho swallowed hard to struggle against the lump that formed in his throat, but eventually managed to subdue it. ''Thanks kid, why are you here by the way? Not that I mind but I'm just wondering,''

Marco's cheeks turned crimson and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. ''Oh uh- well you know, Alvaro and Isco made up. In the room I was sharing with Isco.  
So I ran before they were at it right in front of me. I'm pretty sure they would have literally just _fucked_ with me lying in the other bed and not even care about it,''

Nacho laughed loud, nearly choking on his sip of water. ''Oh they would, trust me. They have no shame whatsoever. They would do it downstairs in the middle of the restaurant without batting an eye,''

''It's crazy right? Their whole relationship, I mean they bicker and ignore each other one day and the next it's all unicorns and rainbows again. I don't get it,'' Marco exasperated, looking genuinely disappointed that he couldn't understand their dynamic.

Nacho comforted him. ''Don't beat yourself up, none of us truly get it. But I do know that their _''fighting''_ if you can even call it that, is only foreplay. They both love make up sex apparently-or angry sex-or just sex in general. I never really asked about it, I don't want to know,''

Marco's face twisted with a mild form of juvenile disgust. ''Yuck I can't even think of them having sex, I don't _want_ to imagine it,''

Nacho chuckled. ''Me neither honestly. But that's just because I've known Alvaro since he was a kid. He's like my little brother so the whole idea of him doing anyone just doesn't appeal to me,''

''Uhu,'' Marco agreed.

''I'm gonna get dressed and we'll go for breakfast all right,''  
''Yeah cool, I'll wait here,''

Nacho changed into his training clothes, took his insulin shot, brushed his teeth and ran a quick comb through his dark blond hair. When he saw his face in the mirror he was shocked with how bad he was actually looking.  
He looked as if he was incredibly hungover, his face was pale as a ghost and deep set baggies under his eyes.

Dani would instantly see that he hadn't slept since he had left. His heart was racing at the thought of seeing Dani.  
Would he ignore him? Would he act like nothing had ever happened?

Should Nacho approach him or leave him be? Fuck, this was going to be awkward. Would Sergio be mad at him? Nacho hated it when Sergio was angry, it usually passed rather quickly but Sergio's heated temper would scare the devil itself.  
Nacho had always thought that Iker was bad, until he had come face to face with Sergio's fury. It wasn't unheard of that Sergio sent things flying through the dressing room. Or kicked at the bench.  
Though compared to Iker, Sergio was always over it in the blink of an eye, whereas Iker could hold onto grudges for years.

Nacho worried too much, it was one of his biggest flaws. He always made things worse in his head than they actually were.  
It was never as bad as he predicted it would be.

He pulled himself together the best he knew how and took a deep breath. When he emerged from the bathroom Marco was flipping through one of Nacho's books. Marco loved to read too, something Nacho absolutely adored about him, considering his age.  
Most of his other close friends, like Isco and Alvaro, only cared about video games and partying but Marco was more refined.

He actually enjoyed gaining more knowledge and had always been a good student at school.  
Something that impressed Nacho, considering that Marco's mother died of cancer when he had been young. A tragedy that still affected Marco, his younger brother and his father on a daily basis.

It had made Marco old for his age and more resilient to sudden changes and curveballs that life could throw at him.  
That he had grown into such a positive, successful young player was an incredible accomplishment.  
If you asked Nacho he could grow out to be Cristiano's heir one day, if he kept going like this. Not that he would ever say that when Cris would be around to hear it. The very idea of retirement was probably Cristiano's worst nightmare.

But Marco did remind Nacho a lot of Cristiano in a lot of ways. He was skillful and technical, yet fast and effective. He was one of the best forwards that Nacho had seen in years.

He played in Zidane's star formation as if he'd _always_ been there, with the same maturity and class he did everything in his daily life.  
Marco was not intimidated easily because he'd survived the worst things that can happen to a human being and came out stronger.

Nacho gazed over Marco's shoulder and curled an arm around him. ''Have you read it?'' he asked, with a nod to 'A song for Achilles.' Marco shook his head. ''Not yet, is it any good?''

''Yeah, although it took me a while to get into it. It's written from the first person point of view and that's always a bit of a bummer for me.  
I seldom read books that do that, but after a few chapters I really started to enjoy it. It's quite good. It describes one of the greatest love stories of all time, though I would argue that Alexander the Great and Hephaistion were an even better couple than Achilles and Patrocolus,''

''Hmm hey can I ask you something?''  
''Of course,''

''Are you reading this because you and Dani are- _well_ _you_ _know_ ,'' Marco said, putting all emphasis on the end of his sentence as he struggled against a furious blush.  
''Because we're what?''

''Don't treat me like an idiot Nach, I have eyes too. I see how you've been looking at him lately. You've changed around him,''

''I wasn't trying to treat you like an idiot. I just don't wanna talk about it-yet,''

''Don't you trust me?''

Now that question hurt. Really.

Nacho sat back in his seat and locked his eyes with Marco's dark brown gems. ''How can you even ask me that? You of all people. Of course I trust you. More than most people in the team. It's just-well in this team there are no secrets as you know.  
We all know basically everything about each other. When we're abroad we get news letters from Pepe about what's going on for god's sake. Nothing here is ever truly private.  
Is it really so bad that there are some things that I want to keep just for me? I'm still working out how to go on with Dani and for once I would like to do that all by myself, instead of discussing it with everyone around me.  
What I'm feeling for him...well it's _personal_ and super complex you know. I don't like to talk about it. Not with anyone. When I do, I'll come and find you. I promise,''

Marco seemed content with that. ''Yeah okay, I get it. Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm starving,''

Nacho followed Marco downstairs to the dining room and bumped into Azpilicueta and Koke in the elevator. Koke conveyed Nacho sharply. ''You okay dude? You look exhausted,''

''Fine,'' Nacho said curtly, not in the mood to divulge any further. He'd known Koke for a very long time, they had played together for the Spanish youth since they were kids. Koke knew him well enough to know that now was not the time to be asking questions.

They made their way to the buffet and Nacho scooped a bowl full with yoghurt, nuts and fresh fruits, his daily breakfast. His eyes were scanning the room for sights of Dani but apparently he wasn't there yet. Sergio however was.

Nacho tugged on his captain's arm to get his attention and led him to the side to avoid curious looks from his teammates. ''Where's Dani?''  
Sergio's eyes were cold and distant. ''In my room, he didn't want to come down yet,''

''I need to go and see him,'' Nacho said, thinking out loud. Sergio clasped onto his shoulder, delving his strong fingers painfully hard in Nacho's shoulder blades. ''No you don't, you should leave him be for now,''

''You're hurting me,'' Nacho groaned. Sergio could be like a bull in a China shop. Sometimes he created more drama while he was actually tying to solve it. But his intentions were always good because he had a giant heart.

His captain released him with an apologetic gaze. ''Sorry Nachito, I'm just fed up with all the drama you know? Like I have my own shit to deal with and I can barely manage that. You two need to get your crap together and solve it because I literally have _no_ energy left to be your peacekeeper,''

''No one is asking you to be,'' Nacho retorted dryly.

''Yeah? Tell that to the upset boy that was banging on my door for my help in the middle of the night. Who's now lingering in my bedroom because he's avoiding you,''

Nacho couldn't think of anything clever to respond to that. ''I guess I'll see Dani on the field then,'' he eventually managed to say.  
''Yeah, sorry bro,'' Sergio said, as he wandered off to get some more coffee.

Nacho fell into a seat beside Lucas and ate his breakfast in silence.  
He knew that Lucas was staring at him, wondering what the hell was wrong this time, but unlike Sergio and Marco, Lucas knew when not to ask him what was going on. It was one of his better qualities.

''More espresso?'' Lucas chimed after half an hour, nodding to Nacho's empty cup.  
Nacho wasn't impressed by the watery espresso they served at the hotel, but he knew he needed more caffeine to get through the day. ''Sure,''

When Lucas returned with two cups, Dani had send Nacho a text, apologizing for running out on him last night. It was more than Nacho had ever hoped for. Especially because he hadn't come down yet.

 _'It's okay, do you need any breakfast? I can bring something up for you,'_ Nacho typedback.

_'Yeah, can you bring me some toast with jam, coffee and a banana,'_

_'Of course, I'll be up in a minute. Are you back in our room?'_

_'Yes, thanks Nach,'_

_'No problem,'_ Nacho put his phone down, scrambled Dani's breakfast together, poured the espresso down his throat so quickly that he burned his tongue and snuck upstairs.

He found Dani in their room, sitting on his bed, looking just as pale and exhausted as Nacho. He clearly hadn't slept either.  
Nacho greeted him with a faint smile and sank onto the bed beside him, handing him the take away bag of food and the plastic coffee cup filled with cappuccino. ''Are you okay?'' he asked cautiously.

Dani shook his head, disbelieving. ''I should be asking you that. I still can't believe how _sweet_ you are sometimes. I hurt you and you ask me if I'm okay. Classic Nacho. You're too good for this world you know,'' Dani took a sip of his coffee and gave Nacho a disgruntled look. ''This is disgusting by the way,''

Nacho smirked. ''I know, the espresso was absolute piss too,''  
''Hmm I'll bet. And here I thought that Italians were the designated masters in coffee,''

''Not in this hotel apparently,'' Nacho retorted. Really, they were talking about coffee now? Seriously?  
Well it was obvious that Dani was just as keen to avoid talking about last night as he was. Nacho knew they had to discuss it eventually, but he and Dani had always been master avoiders. For now he was fine with letting it slide for the time being.

''Wanna go downstairs for training? It's nearly time,'' Dani said after he ate his breakfast in a relatively comfortable silence. ''Sure,''  
Del Bosque and his staff were already waiting on the pitch and the rest of the team entered in little groups of three or four at the time. The Barca guys stuck together as usual, but Alba winked at Nacho when their eyes met. Nacho smiled back.

Del Bosque held a little welcome speech as usual and afterward they got to work. Some stretching and fitness exercises, a few laps and a training game to see how well they could work together after a few months of absence.

Nacho and Dani were on opposite teams and Nacho's squad was winning. Sergio had scored a goal and so had Marco but Isco made it a bit more exciting by finding the net after a beautiful cross pass from Alvaro.

Pique, who was on Nacho's squad, suddenly did something he shouldn't have done.  
He tackled Dani, _hard_. From behind. That was just generally considered to be a shady thing to do, not to mention super dangerous. You could break someone's leg flying in recklessly like that.

Nacho could literally see Dani's ankle going double inwardly. Something that hurt extremely bad. Dani tumbled to the grass, crying out in pain.

Nacho saw red.  
All of his common sense and rationality went out the window when he saw Dani squirming in agony on the grass.  
His protective side took ahold of him and his bottled up fury unleashed itself before he could stop it. He stormed toward Pique and started a tirade of incoherent words that he barely heard himself.

Sergio was on him in a second, hauling him back before Nacho would truly lose it and punch Pique in his stupid grinning face. ''Easy Nachito, calm down,''

''Yeah listen to your _mami_ little boy, you don't wanna do something that will get you kicked off the team now do you? Or should I say: off the bench, because you'll never play as long as I'm here,'' Pique taunted, looking triumphant that he had managed to drive Nacho, who was always stoic and calm up the walls. ''You better get your fucking face far away from me before I-'' Nacho panted.

''Before you what? It was just a _tackle_ man, grow up,''  
''From behind asshole! You don't do that!''

Pique's stupid cheshire smile went even wider, his blue eyes gleaming with enjoyment and cold defiance.  
This was all just a big game to him, Nacho knew that. He shouldn't play it and yet he had let himself be lured into the proverbial bear trap. Pique chuckled amused. ''So? Would you have cared if it were _anyone_ else? Or are you just mad because it was your boyfriend I kicked? The little bitch,''

Before Nacho could punch Pique in his face, Sergio had already lunged for him himself.  
He stomped Pique in his stomach. Not too hard, but hard enough to make the tall Catalan yelp in protest. Sergio's almond eyes were fierce and protective. He had a line and when you crossed it, you would suffer the consequences. ''Talk about my guys like that again and I'll end you,''

Del Bosque's staff intervened just in time before things escalated even further. They pulled Sergio aside, giving him a lecture and probably a fine for hitting Pique. They couldn't get rid of him, Sergio was the best defender they had, and the captain.

Which was why he had hit Pique before Nacho could, Sergio knew that he would be able to get away with it. During training tensions sometimes rose within teams. Even at Real things could get out of hand, people fought sometimes and not just verbally.  
Just playful punches could turn into tiny brawls that would escalate if the staff wouldn't intervene.  
Boys would be boys after all. They didn't talk, they fought.

Del Bosque dragged Pique and Sergio to the side and started a furious tirade about their unprofessional behavior and how they should be inspiring to have more unity in the group, not more division.

Nacho meanwhile, went to check on Dani, noticing that the doctor was already there to examine his ankle. ''You okay?'' he asked, as he crouched down beside Dani and wrapped his arm around him.

''It fucking hurts. You nearly hit him,'' Dani panted, looking impressed. ''Of course, he was picking on you, _degrading_ you. You know I'll always have your back. I wanted to hit him believe me, but Sergio beat me to it-unfortunately,''

''You _never_ hit anyone,'' Dani stated, eyes warm and appreciative.

''Dani, can you rotate your ankle for me?'' the doctor intervened, his hands clasped onto Dani's leg.

Dani nodded stiffly and did what the doc instructed, though he groaned in agony. ''It's not broken, just a bit contused I think. We'll put some ice on it, give you some rest today and see how you feel tomorrow okay?''

''Okay doc, thanks,''

''Come on, I'll get you upstairs,'' Nacho offered. He pulled Dani to his feet and wrapped his arm around his waist to support him. Lucas, Isco, Marco and Alvaro followed them to the elevator, clearly concerned. ''That was a bitch move,'' Isco complained as he gritted his teeth in anger.

''No shit,'' Alvaro agreed heatedly.

''You okay Dani?'' Lucas asked gently. ''I'll be fine, don't worry. I'll play the game in two days, you'll see,'' Dani reassured him.

Nacho knew that it took a lot of pain and doctors advice to take Dani down. He never knew when to quit. He was so bloody devoted to Real Madrid and Spain that he would ignore his own injuries to wear their jerseys.  
Nacho truly admired that about him but it also caused him a lot of grey hairs when he worried about Dani pushing himself too far.

They helped Dani back into the hotel room and lowered him onto the bed.  
The guys decided to hang out for a bit, as they played a video game on their phones and Nacho read his book. Sergio came by around twelve, telling them that as punishment for his outburst he had to share rooms with Pique now, to try to get them more on the same page.

Nacho felt bad for him, but Sergio didn't seem to mind. ''Dude, I've known Geri a long time. We've roomed together before. It'll be _fine_.  
He's not that bad, he just likes to stir things up.  
Every now and then he just needs to be reminded of who's boss, and that's what I just did. All that shit outside was just a sideshow. He's always trying to steal the alpha male status away from me so the power shifts to the Catalan group. I just had to put him in his place. When we're in a room together he's much nicer-and more docile,'' he shrugged.

Dani stared at Nacho, who gave him the same unbelieving look. ''I don't understand your relationship,'' Dani mumbled.  
Sergio cackled. ''That's okay, as long as _we_ do,''

When it was lunchtime they took off, leaving Nacho and Dani alone for a bit.

''Can you believe those two,'' Dani said, referring to Sergio and Pique probably, ''they're at each other's throats one second and singing kumbaya by a campfire a moment later,''

Nacho agreed. ''It's weird right?''  
''Weird is an understatement. I wouldn't be this cool about rooming with him. Not after what he did to me today,''

''Hmm I know, me neither. Anyway, can I get you anything?''  
''Yeah actually, there's one thing I need,''

Dani's voice was so suggestive that Nacho's heart rate sped up hopefully. ''What's that?''  
''Sleep, and so do you Nach. You're a train wreck,''

Nacho frowned, disappointed. ''Gee thanks,''  
Dani smirked and laid himself down under the covers. ''Come here Nach,''

Nacho's heart nearly fell out of his chest. ''What?''  
''Come lay with me,''

Dani wasn't kidding. Nacho could tell. ''Hold on, I-uh- have to piss,'' he stammered.

As he slid into the bathroom, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Well at least the color had returned to his cheeks, he thought. That was something at least. He straightened out a lock of hair as he tried to compose himself, but failed.  
Dani seemed different somehow.  
As if he was finally ready to take their relationship to the next level. Nacho had waited two weeks for that to happen, and it had been torture. Though in retrospect, Dani had waited all his life.

To be safe, he took a sip of his minty mouthwash. He exhaled deep and stepped back into the room with all the courage he could muster. Dani was already lying on his side, his big brown eyes sharp and watchful, his arm constricted around his pillow.

He pulled the duvet back and Nacho slid into the bed without a word. They were face to face now and Dani's arms came around Nacho's waist, as he buried his face against Nacho's hammering chest.

Dani would be able to hear his heart rate spinning out of control, a thought that made Nacho nervous but also seemed to comfort him in a strange way. Dani pulled his face back and gazed deep into Nacho's eyes. His fingers slowly reached up and cradled Nacho's cheek.

''Dani-are you sure-''

''Shhhh,'' Dani whispered gently. Their foreheads were touching now. Nacho's entire system was on fire.

Dani's warm breath mingled with Nacho's, who felt all his defenses fade into the background. He wanted this. He wanted Dani to be his. But it had to be Dani's choice. He was the one who got to decide whether he was going to trust Nacho's heart or not.

Dani smiled at him once again before he finally closed the distance between them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_TBC......._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I guess they owe Pique a thank you note right? He brought them closer together. 
> 
> That's good. Oh and the little Pique rooming with Sergio is for my good friend Londonbird, who I know likes the ship. I might explore that relationship a bit more in this. I might not. I haven't decided yet. 
> 
> Let me hear your thoughts guys. I'm sorry to let you hanging on another cliffhanger, but I do love those. I know this one was mean. They finally kissed, or did they?


	10. Control is an illusion.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Nacho explore new levels of their relationship. 
> 
> Sergio reaches out for help after a disturbing phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ''There are dreamers and realists in this world. You would think that the dreamers find the dreamers and the realists find the realists but more often than not, the opposite is true. You see the dreamers need the realists from searing too close to the sun, and the realists. Well without the dreamers they might never get off the ground,'' 
> 
> I don't know why I thought of this modern family quote during the process of this chapter, but I feel that it fits somehow. I always see Sergio and Iker like this. Totally different from each other, but they complete each other because of that. I just miss them I guess. We will dive a little further into their relationship but also more into Nacho and Dani's. 
> 
> I'm very sorry for making you guys wait forever for this, but I had massive writers block that wouldn't go away. I could make new stories sure, but I could look at my laptop forever without any inspiration coming up for this story.  
> But I'm back now and I hope you will like it. The drama will go away quickly after this chapter, I promise. There will be one or two chapters after this and then it's complete. 
> 
> Thanks for your support! I appreciate all the kudos and notes this has received so far. <3

_Dani._

 

 

 

 

 

The moment Nacho's lips brushed over Dani's he lost control over all his coherent thoughts. His mind went blank. All that existed in that moment was him and Nacho, doing the thing that he had waited for most of his life.  
And it was strange, to be this close to him, to feel the soft, pliant lips delve into his own and yet to feel as numb and useless as a statue in a museum. For some bizarre, unknown reason, Dani just _froze_.  
Overwhelmed by the sudden emotion of it all. When you had waited so long for something and finally got it, things tended to feel extremely surreal. He should pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming this as he usually did.

Nacho sensed his hesitation and pulled back, eyes heavy lidded and concerned as they gazed into Dani's. ''What's wrong? Did I do it wrong?''

Dani shook his head quickly, feeling embarrassed with himself. ''No, god no. It's just-suddenly this all feels very unreal. I think I should pinch myself to make sure I'm not still dreaming,''

Nacho playfully squeezed him in his arm. ''You're not dreaming, see?''

''I'm sorry, I just, it felt-'' Dani was stammering like some blithering idiot again. To his surprise, Nacho only smiled affectionately at him. His fingers ghosted over Dani's cheek, hauling him in a bit closer as his strong arm curled firmly around Dani's waist.

Nacho placed a soft peck to Dani's cheek. ''Relax, I get it. It's _strange_ doing this. Kissing you like that. For me too. Good strange, but still. I mean I've never kissed a guy before and kissing you, well that only makes it a hundred times more loaded and intense,''

Dani shook his head, disbelieving. ''How do you always know the right thing to say to any situation? It's insulting to people like me who are socially awkward,''  
Nacho snorted. ''You're _not_ socially awkward, and I don't always say the right thing. You simply always give me way too much credit,''

''I don't give you anymore credit than you deserve. You are the best man I know Nach and that will always be true,'' Dani said, loyally. Nacho rolled his eyes at him with a disbelieving smirk. ''See? Far too much credit,''

Dani pulled Nacho in closer so that their noses were brushing together.  
He felt Nacho's hot, minty breath landing on his upper lip. ''Try this again?'' he murmured.

Nacho didn't need to be told twice. But this time he let Dani take the initiative, somehow assuming that it would be better to let Dani see how far he wanted to go and telling him that he would be fine with whatever he wanted. Nacho's lips were impossibly warm against Dani's.

They were much, much softer than he had anticipated, seeing how he had assumed that girls lips would be tangibly different from a mans touches. But they weren't. Dani would even argue that Nacho had the smoothest, most luscious lips he had ever kissed.

Their kiss wasn't like it was in the movies. Not just a meeting of lips that instantly went into a passionate lovemaking. It was a bit clumsy at times, not perfect and at one time their teeth actually clattered together, but to Dani it meant everything.

Nacho's arms were holding him tightly, his fingers occasionally brushing through his hair, stroking his neck and eventually finding their way under Dani's shirt to massage the muscles in his back. When Dani felt confident enough to explore more of Nacho he parted his lips even further and slid his tongue into Nacho's wanting mouth.

He had always loved French kissing with girls but he came to the conclusion that Nacho had to be the best kisser he had ever been with. He was so good that it made Dani dizzy and wanton with a mixture of love and consuming, gut wrenching lust.

If Nacho kept kissing him like this he wouldn't be able to control himself much longer. He had grown impossibly hard in his sweatpants and was struggling not to come from a bit of grinding like a horny teenager. When Nacho pulled back to kiss Dani's neck however, it was too late and before Dani could warn Nacho he felt his orgasm pulsating free against the soft fabric of his boxers.  
He groaned, ashamed and Nacho stopped instantly, noticing something was up.

Dani felt completely mortified. This used to be a reoccurring problem for him during all of his relationships, that he came far too quickly and that his girlfriends couldn't enjoy sex because he was always done within a minute. He tried to compensate by doing other things for them but somehow they weren't impressed.

He always went to Nacho for advice and he had never once laughed at him for it, or judged him. Dani hoped he wouldn't judge him now either.

His cheeks were hot and probably red and he turned away from Nacho, trying to struggle free from his death grip. ''Hey, no running. Don't be ashamed okay, it's fine,'' Nacho assured him.  
He kissed Dani's forehead and smiled tentatively. Dani should have known that Nacho would never laugh at him for his 'problem' and yet it half what came as a surprise to him.  
Which was something he felt guilty over the minute he had thought it. He should know Nacho better than that.

''I can't believe this shit happened again,'' Dani grumbled as he buried his face against Nacho's shoulder. Nacho cupped his cheek and forced Dani to look at him. ''Hey, it happens to a lot of guys okay. And it's only _understandable_ after you waited for this for so long. Don't beat yourself up about it. I will take it as a compliment,''

Dani grinned. ''Only you could turn an impossible train wreck into something positive, it's a skill,''  
''Yeah I'm just that good, I guess,''

''Okay now arrogance doesn't look good on you at all,''  
''I know right?'' Nacho agreed, ''Go take a shower, I know you want to,''

Dani did want to. Nacho knew him too well. Dani hated the feeling of sperm sticking to his clothing, smearing over his lower abdomen. He nearly asked Nacho to join him in there but changed his mind at the very last second. Instead he leaned over Nacho, placed another deep kiss to his lips and heard the older defender moan under his touches. ''God Dani, this is-'' Nacho panted through their parted lips. ''I know,'' Dani agreed.

The Greenday, Boulevard of broken dreams ringtone of Nacho's phone went off, indicating that it was Sergio who was calling. ''Fucking hell,'' Nacho grumbled. He didn't swear much but Dani loved it when he did. Made him feel less perfect and more human somehow. ''I'm gonna take that shower now,'' Dani announced and he kissed Nacho's cheek one final time before he slipped into the bathroom.

Before he shut the door he heard Nacho snarl a muffled ''what'' at the phone. He was clearly extremely annoyed with Sergio for breaking their moment. Dani quickly discarded his clothes, throwing his boxers in the bin with a sigh and slipped under the warm water. It felt nice to feel clean again, but he was so pissed off with himself for ruining their moment, his long awaited moment, by getting too excited once again.

He knew he shouldn't be too hard on himself for getting overstimulated, it was understandable as Nacho had said, especially after all those long years. But Dani had sincerely hoped to prolong their make out session and turn it into something more, maybe even a blow job.  
He couldn't wait to do that to Nacho. He wanted to do everything to him and more.

And now that he finally got the chance he was making it impossible for himself again by not being able to control his bloody hormones.  
He had pulled an American pie on Nacho. That movie was all too confronting to Dani, considering his own problems with self control. Though, thankfully he had never fucked his way into an apple pie or anything twisted like that.

Nacho was banging on the door. ''Can I come in?''  
Dani resisted the urge to tell Nacho no, he felt far too vulnerable and embarrassed to face Nacho yet. ''Sure,'' he said instead.

Nacho appeared in his eyesight, staring at him through the glass shower cabin. He made sure he kept eye contact with Dani and looked anywhere but at his nakedness. Dani appreciated that. ''What's up?''

''I have to go over to Sergio's for a bit. He said he needed to talk to me, he invited you to come along,''  
''Oh, Iker problems?''

Nacho shrugged. ''I don't know, he didn't say. He did sound upset though so yeah probably Iker problems,''

''Okay I'll be out in a sec,'' Dani shouted. Nacho left him alone and Dani turned the water off, reaching for a towel. When he was properly dressed they made their way to Sergio and Gerard's room. Dani knocked on the door. ''It's us!''

Sergio opened it, looking completely disheveled. As if the world had destroyed him from the inside out. His eyes were read and cloudy.

''Oh Jesus,'' Nacho exclaimed. Sergio stumbled forward and collapsed into their arms as he cried and cried in the hallway. Anyone could walk by at any time, Sergio had a reputation to protect. If Gerard would see his weakness he would be out for blood.

Nacho was apparently thinking the same thing and together they guided Sergio into the hotel room, supporting him by wrapping his arms around their shoulders.

They sat Sergio down on the bed and each sat on his side, so that he was sandwiched in between them. ''What happened Sese?'' Dani asked, using his most innocent voice to coerce something out of their captain. A distraught Sergio like this had to be treated delicately.

''C-Cris called,'' Sergio choked out after a long silence.

Dani had a feeling he knew what this would be about. Perhaps they would finally discover why Cris had been so furious with Iker lately. Dani knew it somehow had to do with Sergio and Iker and their impossibly complex relationship.

''What did he say?'' Nacho asked gently. He wiped a tear from Sergio's sculptured cheek and stroked his back soothingly.  
''Iker lied to me,''

''About what?'' Dani knew they would have to drag the answers out of their captain.

''He said-he said he isn't into men, but he slept with Cris a few weeks ago. Cris just told me. After he slept with him he left Cris' house in the middle of the night and ignored his texts and emails for weeks. Can you believe that asshole?'' Sergio spat, his knuckles white from his clenched fists. ''Telling me he isn't bisexual, rejecting me for years and than he sleeps with one of my best friends?! I can't believe he did that to me and on the other hand it's _completely_ believable. I'm so fucking angry right now,''

''No you're not,'' Dani said, before he could hold it in.  
Sergio blinked, astounded. ''I'm not?''

''No, you're not mad, you're disappointed, which is even _worse_. You're upset that he didn't share his first encounter with a man with you, but that he chose Cris instead. That's understandable. I would be pissed too. But most of all you feel alone, empty.  
Knowing that one of your best friends got the one thing that you'll never get from the man you love more than anyone else on this planet. So yes, you're mostly disappointed, not just in Iker but in Cris as well.  
You feel betrayed by him. That he took something that was suppose to be _yours_.  
And you're right to feel that. They've both let you down,'' Dani wasn't sure whether he was making much sense seeing how his words were all over the place as usual but Sergio seemed to understand. He nodded sadly. ''I guess, I am angry with both of them. I don't get why Iker didn't just come to me if he wanted to experience what it's like to have sex with a man,''

''He didn't want to do that to you,'' Nacho said instantly. When Sergio raised a questioning eyebrow he elaborated. ''Iker knows how much you love him, how much he means to you. Sleeping with someone who has been in love with you forever, while you're not sure you feel the same is never a good plan.  
He would break your heart Sergio, having him for one night but nothing more would destroy you. Iker knows that. That he didn't come to you was an act of compassion. He actually had your best interest at heart when he did what he did,''

''No he didn't,'' Sergio snarled stubbornly, ''he could have slept with anyone he wanted, could have ordered a male escort for all I care, but to sleep with the one guy he knows I would have a problem with if I ever found out is a hit below the belt,''

''Why would you have a problem with the fact that it's Cris he chose?'' Nacho asked cautiously.

Sergio rolled his eyes at Nacho, as if he was stupid to ask it. ''Iker knows that there is only one guy in the team that makes me insecure about myself. Look, I know I'm considered to be pretty okay, but Cris, he's something else. He makes me feel inferior about myself for some inexplicable reason.  
Iker knows that. And yet he sleeps with him, of all people that walk this planet. Sleeps with one of my best friends. Who does something like that?''

''You should talk to him about this, about everything,'' Dani suggested. His proposal was met with a humorless laughter. ''Talk to him? Iker is lucky if I'll ever answer his calls or texts again. I never want to see that bastard again-ever. I hate him,''

Dani covered Sergio's folded hands with his own. ''No you don't, you can't,''

Sergio's expression broke and he slumped his head onto Dani's shoulder and burst out into tears. They sat there like that for a long time, in silence. ''What's _wrong_ with me?'' Sergio asked dramatically, after he wiped his tears with his sleeve.

''You're in love, and contrary to what the movies tell you, in real life love hurts like a son of a bitch,'' Dani replied, as he patted Sergio's shoulders to boost him up a bit.  
Sergio's phone started buzzing on the desk. Nacho stood up to get it. ''It's Iker,'' he said, before extending the phone to Sergio, who didn't take it. ''I can't talk to him right now,''

After five buzzes the noise subsided. Only to start up again. Iker's name appeared on the screen once more. ''Just answer it, avoiding him won't do anyone any good,'' Dani tried to pursuade him.

Sergio inhaled deep and took the phone from Nacho's hand. ''We'll go,'' Nacho announced. Sergio nodded gratefully and kissed both of them on their cheeks before they wandered back into the hallway.

When Nacho shut the door behind Sergio, Dani let out a huge gulp of air he hadn't realized he was holding. ''Will it ever end with those two?''  
''Probably not,''

''I don't get why they can't make it work, I mean it's clear that Iker always felt something for Sergio too right?''  
Dani mused on it a while. ''I think so, I mean we all assumed that they were meant to be together-eventually. But then again why did he go to Cris? It doesn't add up,''

''But you just said-''

''What I thought would help Sergio the best. Doesn't mean that I understand how their relationship works. Personally I've always thought that there was something there, but it's not my business so I never interfered,'' Dani shrugged. ''I just wish they would sort their shit out, I'm really _tired_ of holding Sergio's hand and listening to the same resentment over and over again,''

''Yeah, me too. I love Sergio don't get me wrong but it's getting exhausting to see him upset all the time,'' Nacho frowned and then looked disgusted with himself. ''Are we horrible people? Our friend, a man we look up to, is in pain and we're belittling it,''

''Well I like to think we're good people, but now you're making me doubt that,'' Dani said, feeling dejected.  
They ran into Isco and Alvaro in the hallway and decided to go to their hotel room to play some playstation games. The rest of the afternoon went by uneventful and that night after dinner, they were visited by Sergio.

''I called him back,'' he announced, as he stepped inside without asking for permission to enter. ''Come in,'' Dani grinned. Sergio was looking much better, happier somehow. His eyes were clear again and his gaze was sharp.

''Well, how did it go,'' Nacho inquired, as he poured Sergio a glass of orange juice from the minibar. ''Good actually, we talked for a long time. I told him everything I wanted to say, everything I should have said years ago. He apologized for going to Cris, said it was all just a giant mistake on his part and that he wished it had never happened. I told him that apologies were just words. Actions speak louder than words. I told him that his apology wasn't good enough for me anymore. That he had let me down in ways that I can't even begin to deal with.  
He listened to me, but when I said that he broke and started to cry. I'd _never_ heard Iker cry before, it was-disturbing to say the least. You should have heard him, it was heartbreaking.  
Despite his tears I decided to not break rank, I wasn't going to give him another chance because I felt like he didn't deserve one. Not after what he did to me. But then he started begging, pleading me to give him one more chance. That he didn't want to lose me. Asking me to come and see him tonight because he's in Madrid right now. So I'm going to meet him,'' Sergio said, his voice light and expectant.

Dani exchanged a quick, disbelieving gaze with Nacho before he rolled his eyes at Sergio. ''Well we took a little detour but ended up on the same path as always. Go then, have fun,''

Sergio looked remorseful and clasped onto Dani's hand. ''Dani, don't be mad,''

Dani scoffed. ''Mad? I'm not mad. But we both know that this will end bad right? And that you'll be crying on our shoulder tomorrow morning when he's let you down for the umpteenth time. I just hate that you keep torturing yourself like this over someone who will never change,''

''You don't know that Dani,'' Nacho intervened. ''I changed didn't I?''

Sergio gazed from Dani to Nacho and back and his eyes widened. ''NO?! Really? You're together now?!''

''Well...'' Dani hesitated, unclear whether Nacho wanted to tell people yet, but Nacho took ahold of his hand and said, ''yes, we're together,''  
Dani felt his heart swell up five sizes and a lump form in his throat. His fingers entwined themselves with Nacho's and he resisted the urge to kiss Nacho until he was basically breathless.  
This meant everything to him, that Nacho was so sure of their relationship that he felt comfortable telling people about it. But at the same time he understood that Nacho was now feeding Sergio false hope about his chances with Iker.

''Oh my god, this is _brilliant_ , I'm so fucking happy for you kids! Can I come to the wedding? Pretty please?'' Sergio sounded as excited as a high school girl. He kissed both their cheeks and hugged them real tight.

''Well if we ever decide to get married you are definitely on the guest list,'' Nacho reassured him. ''Oh can I please be the ring bearer? I would love that job,'' Sergio was always jumping ahead of things and got overly enthusiastic about tiny, silly situations. But in that moment Dani could literally see himself walking down the aisle with Nacho, an old dream he had had multiple times as a little boy. He had always wanted to marry someone like Nacho. A man you could build on, who would never let you stand in the cold if he could help it.

''Look Sese,'' Dani interjected, knowing it was important to get his point across before Sergio got his hopes up too much, ''that we made it doesn't mean that Iker will have had a change of heart like Nacho did. You realize that don't you? You have to prepare yourself for the possibility that you two will always only be best friends. If it turns out differently then great, but I wouldn't count on it if I were you. That way you avoid being too disappointed with whatever happens tonight,''

Sergio huffed loud. ''Classic Dani, having countless ways of ruining a nice moment with the stone cold, hard reality. _Yes_ Dani, I know I might end up getting hurt again, thank you for warning me. I'm not a complete idiot despite of what some of my teammates think of me,''

''We don't think you're an idiot,'' Nacho mediated quickly. That was always his role. ''No of course not, just that I'm naive to put myself out there again tonight, knowing that I'll probably get rejected once more. Right Dani?'' Sergio grumbled, voice drooping with sarcasm.

Dani retorted, ''Actually I thought that you were being very brave, to put yourself out there like that again. I know firsthand what you're going through right now, so why would I judge you? You're putting your heart on the table Sese, that's not stupid or naive, it's courageous,''

Sergio's eyes dampened a bit again. ''Thanks,''

''And we're here for you if it doesn't go well, always. Because you're our big brother. You've always looked out for us, listened to our childish problems. Now it's our turn to look after you. We're not going anywhere dude, we got you,'' Dani said, voice laced with kindness for their captain. Sergio had earned their loyalty over the past fifteen years. He'd always been there for each and every one of them.

He had the rare gift to make everyone around him feel great about themselves. They all loved Sergio, even when he woke them up from their naps, when he teased them endlessly or when he drove them up the walls. Staying angry with Sergio was as futile and impossible as being upset with a rainstorm.  
He was a good man, who deserved to get everything he wanted in life. ''Do I look-okay?'' Sergio asked, sounding insecure again as he stared at his outfit quizzically.

He wore his favorite pair of black pants, matching it with a navy colored shirt and black shoes. He looked amazing, but that was nothing new. He still looked breathtaking even if he wore one of his typical Sergio outfits. Sometimes he truly missed the mark on his fashion but tonight he was gorgeous.

''You look amazing,'' Dani told him. Sergio kissed them gratefully and left them alone a moment later. They wished him good luck but were unsure whether he had even heard him.

When they were back in their own room, Dani climbed into bed with Nacho, aching for more touches, more kisses. More of anything Nacho was willing to give.  
Just when he thought his life couldn't get any better, Nacho spooned him, cradling his entire body down with his own.

Dani hadn't felt this warm or safe in years. When Nacho's lips brushed over the shell of Dani's ear, he heard a faint whisper coursing through the air.

_''I love you,''_

 

 

 

 

_TBC........_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to all my readers, this story wouldn't exist without your ever going support. 
> 
> It means the world to me. 
> 
> Oh and Dani's little problem, many of my exes had the same thing. In so many fics the guys can always go on for ages during sex but that's not really my experience with men. Some of them come too fast and yes most of them hate it and feel mortified by it. I used this to try to make the story more real. 
> 
> although grown men talking about their emotions all the time isn't very believable anyway. Men usually don't talk much. Not about this kind of stuff anyway. 
> 
> Anyhow I hope you guys liked it. <3


	11. At the end of the day.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Dani's birthday he get's the surprise of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took me ages to finish and I guess I let myself off the hook easy with this ending. Yes I said ending. This is the last chapter of the story. And I suck at endings, I know that. They're just so hard for me, I can never get it right. 
> 
> I hope this has been worth the wait and that the way I'm leaving it will be good for you guys. But as I said: endings are hard. It looks like you can never get it right. 
> 
> At least I'm tying up some loose ends.

_Madrid._

 

 

 

 

Today was Dani's 25th birthday.  
A day he had never particularly looked forward to, considering that he never had anyone special to share it with, but this was his lucky year. Over the holidays he and Nacho had made their relationship official, telling their teammates, their families and their friends. Funnily enough, most of them responded with a 'well that was about time' comment or a stoic, 'finally.'  
Apparently everybody had known except for him and Nacho.

They had celebrated it with his family during the day but now that the sun was going down, their teammates would come out to play.  
Everyone was going to be there, except for Cris, who didn't like parties and usually skipped their birthdays. He always called and sent a gift to everybody though.

Nacho had arranged for two giant cakes to be delivered to their house, one of them was already gone and the second was resting in the refrigerator.

And because he was blessed with a creative mind, Nacho had created the design himself. A football theme obviously, with Dani's goal against Granada printed on the icing. It must have cost him a fortune and they looked nearly too beautiful to eat, but the cake tasted even better than it looked.

Alejandra was snuggled up on a pile of cushions on the couch, her eyelids heavy with sleep.  
Dani looked at his little girl and slid on the sofa beside her, stroking her warm cheek. ''I'm gonna take her to bed, her light's out,'' he told Nacho who was removing empty glasses off the tables and cleaning up. ''Okay,'' Nacho retorted.  
Dani took her in his arms and lifted her up, feeling her tiny fingers curl around his neck and her face buried against his clavicle.

There was something so pure and vulnerable about carrying a sleeping child in your arms. They were not conscious and were totally at your mercy, and yet they kept sleeping soundly, despite being moved. They slept so well because they knew they were loved so fiercely.

Dani always felt his heart melt at that realization, that this little girl, who wasn't technically his daughter had such faith in him and loved him so intensely. Dani may not have fathered her, but in his heart she felt like his own child. He would die for her.

Nacho walked toward them and kissed his daughter's forehead. ''Good night sweetheart,''

Alejandra mumbled something incoherent but looked content enough. Then Nacho kissed Dani, just for a second. Their relationship had evolved over the past few months. Deepened. Nacho was no longer afraid of his feelings and Dani had gained faith that Nacho's feelings for him were one hundred percent sincere. That he no longer cared for Maria.  
Nacho was now fully committed to him.  
Once they had broken down that final dam in Dani's mind there had been no stopping them. They explored each other's bodies in bed, hungrily, eagerly but gentle. Dani learned how to master his orgasm problems, due to Nacho's endless amount of patience.

Turned out that with a good teacher, he really was capable of enduring far longer than he had before. Strangely enough ( to Dani anyway ) Nacho thoroughly enjoyed being a bottom.  
They had switched a few times but Nacho didn't like being a top, he preferred for Dani to take him.

Dani still wasn't completely certain why, but he loved the feeling of owning Nacho, ravished the sounds he made when Dani was inside of him, driving him crazy with his slow, erratic pace. Nacho could beg so beautifully.  
Plead for more in a way that could make Dani's blood boil. He loved it. Being responsible for Nacho's undoing.

It was incredibly arousing to watch. Teasing Nacho had become one of Dani's favorite things in the whole word, he could literally do it for hours before he finally slid into him, putting Nacho out of his long awaited misery.

Dani had discovered that having sex with men was very different than having a girl in his bed. Dani had always loved sex, but with Nacho it had been different. It was the best sex of his life and yet, his favorite time was right after they had come.  
When he would collapse on top of Nacho, holding him while still being buried deep inside of him.  
Those moments were so intense, so pure. They could kiss for hours while laying there just like that. Dani never felt more connected to Nacho than ever when that happened. It had made all those long years of waiting absolutely worth it.

When he reached the top of the stairs he took a left and entered Alejandra's bedroom. He folded the blanket back and laid her down on the mattress. Her fingers were still clasping onto his hand. She could have the same death grip as her daddy had when he held onto Dani's hand in private. Ali opened her big brown eyes and yawned. ''Is the party over?''

''Yes, it is for you baby girl. Time for bed,''  
''But I'm not tired,''

''Of course you're not, but you still _need_ to sleep,''  
''I want to hear a story first,'' Ali demanded.

Dani exasperated deep. He knew that arguing with a toddler had zero sense. ''All right, which one do you like to hear?''  
''The one with the swans,''

''Again? Are you sure?'' Dani asked, feeling tired. He had told this story so many times before that it was starting to get on his nerves.

It came from a book Nacho had read once, about a young Irish girl who was the youngest of seven siblings. Her six brothers got turned into swans by an evil witch and she had to save them. It was a thick book and an even longer story to tell but they always gave her the cliff notes of it.  
Dani had tried to read the story once, but he didn't like stories with a first person point of view. It didn't read well. Sentences that started with 'I felt' just weren't his thing.

As Dani told the story of Sorcha and her brothers for the umpteenth time, he saw her drifting off into sleep easily. He wasn't even halfway done when he saw that she was soundly asleep. Good, because their teammates would be there soon. He kissed her cheek, slithered out of her room and snuck downstairs. Nacho was neatly aligning glasses on the table and placing bowls of snacks on various end tables.

He stepped back to judge his work critically and moved to the kitchen to empty the dishwasher and place the dirty dishes inside of it. When he had pressed the on button, Dani folded his arms around him from behind and hauled him close. ''Thank you, this has been the best birthday ever,''

Nacho chuckled. ''It's nowhere near over, you can thank me later when I'm done treating you upstairs,''

''Hmm is that a promise?'' Dani purred slyly. ''Definitely,'' Nacho assured him. He turned around in Dani's arms and kissed him fiercely. Their tongues met, hands were roaming everywhere and before Dani knew it, Nacho had loosened his jeans.

His hand was palming him through the fabric of his boxers. Dani felt himself grow impossibly hard instantly. ''Nach, we _don't_ have time,'' he panted, growling in frustration. Fuck, it was alms embarrassing how he needed this right now.

''I can be quick,''

Nacho's fingers had just reached under the cotton and made contact with Dani's throbbing dick when the doorbell rang. ''Son of a bitch!'' Dani exclaimed, his cheeks radiating with held back lust. ''Oops, well I guess you will have to wait a few hours,'' Nacho grinned, looking far too smug with himself. ''Why do I get the feeling you did something sneaky?'' Dani murmured. He heard the heated aggravation in his voice. He never really liked this side of himself but Nacho did things to him that made him lose all control.

''Well I guess you can call this a quid pro quo for all the times you're making me wait before you give me what I want,'' Nacho winked. He kissed Dani's temple, released him and stepped to the front door.  
Dani quickly buttoned his pants and tried to find his composure but Nacho had thrown him a curveball he hadn't seen coming. He was so impossibly hot with arousal that calming down would be a challenge.

Nacho opened the door and Sergio and Iker stepped inside, followed by Lucas, Marco and Borja. ''Dani! Happy birthday!!!'' they shouted, nearly in sync, only Borja was two seconds too late as usual. He had always been a bit of a slow one. The group gathered around Dani, hugging and kissing him excitedly. Presents were being placed on the kitchen table and drinks were poured.

Iker wrapped his arm around Dani and smiled. ''So twenty-five huh, best years are yet to come kid. Did you have a good day so far?''

"Yeah it was amazing, my family and friends came by and loaded me with gifts. We had a great time,''

''Good,'' Iker hummed. Sergio snuck up behind them and grabbed Dani in a headlock. ''Danito!!! Felicidades!!!'' he screamed happily.

Ever since he was with Iker he was far better dressed than he had when he was left to his own devices. He wore a simple dark pair of jeans and a crisp black blouse. He no longer dressed like a crazy person or like someone who had done too much weed.

Dani resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Sergio, because let's face it, a happy, content, Sergio was preferable to the depressed, sulking one he had been since Iker left, but now that they were together Sergio was more of his old self everyday.  
With all the annoying traits that came with it.  
He and Iker had been a couple for a while now and despite that they were still working through some stuff, somehow they made it work. The distance didn't help, but during their spare time they met up as often as they could.

Dani was still shocked that it had actually happened, he had never seen that coming. He was happy for them, but a lot of it didn't make much sense. Iker had never had feelings for Sergio as far as everyone knew ad now they were suddenly together.  
Dani and Nacho liked to speculate for hours as to how that had happened. They didn't dare to ask either of them for the truth. If they were happy, that was all that mattered to them.

Nacho had a theory that Sergio had simply kissed Iker on that night they had met up for dinner and that it had stirred some realizations in Iker's heart. Sometimes people had feelings for each other without knowing it and all they needed was a little convincing.  
Dani could buy that theory.  
Most people wouldn't be so insane as to reject Sergio Ramos when he offered himself to them on a silver platter. He doubted that even straight men would find the discipline to reject him if he laid down on a bed in front of them, naked. Lucas hugged Dani tight. ''How's it going?''

''Good, it was a cool party. Where's Toni?''

''Oh you know,'' Lucas said evasively, ''he doesn't really like to party,''

''He won't come?''

''I don't think so, I'm sorry,''

''Is everything okay with you guys?'' Dani asked, disconcerted.

''Yeah, it's just-hard you know. Having a relationship with someone who's _so_ _different_ than what you're used to. We come from two totally different worlds, different cultures. He's raised in ways that I can't really understand and that works the other way around too.  
It just takes more work and compromises than I had thought it would. Toni is very complex and he drives me up the walls sometimes.  
But he's worth it. I love him a lot. We just have to find a way to meet in the middle and not let our differences get between us,'' Lucas mused. He looked rather pensive and consumed by his own thoughts.

Dani clasped onto his shoulder. ''Of course he's worth it, plus you guys are such a nice couple. You're meant to be, we can all see that. But I get that it's complicated. It always is, even when you come from the same culture, let me tell you. Even me and Nach have our issues,''

That seemed to reassure Lucas as much as it surprised him. ''Really?''

''Sure, we don't always agree on the other's parenting style. We don't see eye to eye on a lot of subjects and Nacho can be so caught in his own thoughts that it's impossible to talk to him. He can completely shut down sometimes. And he has to deal with my insecurities and need for reassurances when it comes to his feelings for me,''

Lucas sighed dramatically in a way that would have made Sergio proud. ''Relationships are _such_ hard work,''  
''They are,'' Dani agreed, ''but they're worth it once you find the right person to be with,''

The doorbell rang again and Nacho went to open it. Dani smiled when he saw who had entered the living room. ''Oh and I don't think you have to worry too much, look who just came in,'' he pointed.

Toni, Mateo and Luka stepped inside, carrying presents in their arms. ''Son of a bitch, he actually came,'' Lucas gleamed. He looked as happy as a child in a candy store.

''Well then go,'' Dani said, nudging Lucas into Toni's arms. Lucas kissed Toni so hard that he dropped his present to the floor and nearly got the air knocked out of him. Sergio whistled and made cheering noises and the others joined in. Toni's face was strongly resembling a ripe tomato. Lucas was embarrassing him, but Toni didn't seem to mind.

Isco, Alvaro and the rest of the squad entered a few moments later. When everyone was there, except from Karim and Cris, the music started. Alejandra would sleep through it, seeing how she could sleep through a nuclear bomb and her room was the furthest away from the noise. To be sure, Dani had a baby monitor on the end table, in case they woke her up.

Everyone was dancing, drinks were being spilled richly and the cake was gone in the blink of an eye. A shame, though Dani didn't regret a single bite.

Around one in the morning, the party started to die down a bit. People started to yawn, glasses were shattered on the floor because some people -like Luka Modric-just couldn't hold their liquor.  
When Luka was wasted like this, it was usually their cue to call it a night. Dani recalled how drunk Luka had been during the Decima party, how Fabio Coentrao had sacrificed his entire evening by babysitting and preventing Luka from dropping off the bus.  
When Luka was anywhere around champagne bad things usually happened. Now that Fabio was gone it was usually Mateo who watched him, who admired Luka like a little brother looked up to his big one.

Iker was laying with his face onto Sergio's lap and was snoring soft. Sergio was wide awake and was mapping his fingers through Iker's hair with a content smile. Dani realized that he was looking into a very private, intimate moment between them and quickly averted his gaze. The sight of them had moved him, and he felt a lump form in the back of his throat.

Nacho snuggled in beside him on the couch and kissed his cheek lovingly. His blue eyes currently resembled the deeper, more mysterious parts of the sea. ''Penny for your thoughts?''

But Dani couldn't speak. He was feeling so overwhelmed by everything suddenly that his tongue was silenced.

He had so many things to be grateful for everyday, he had a house to call home, a sweet daughter who loved him with all her heart, amazing friends and extra brothers who looked out for him, and he had the best partner a man could ever ask for.  
One who was loyal beyond measures and who would never abandon him. One who kept him safe, who would sacrifice his own life for him.

''Dani?'' Nacho's voice quipped, sounding a bit anxious. ''I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you,'' Dani finally blurted out.  
Nacho seemed relieved. ''Oh, well I'm glad. I feel really lucky too,''

When their teammates went home, half an hour later, they finally crawled up in bed together.

Dani was laying on top of Nacho, still clothed, but not for long, when his partner suddenly clasped onto his face and broke the kiss. _''Marry me,''_ Nacho whispered.  
It sounded like a plea. Like a wish. Dani felt his heart swell up ten sizes. His eyes dampened. All of this felt eerily much like a dream.

A heavy tear rolled down Dani's bearded cheek.  
He swallowed thickly before pressing his lips to Nacho's, in a poor attempt to put his entire heart and soul into one deep kiss. ''Yes, I'll marry you,''

Nacho smiled deeper than he ever had before and kissed the tear off of Dani's cheek, before giving Dani everything he could have wished for on his birthday. And more. He had given him not just a partner but a husband. Dani was finally home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_The end._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So did you like the ending? I really hope so. This has been super fun to make. Sorry to keep you guys waiting for more for so long. I had massive writers block. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading this and for sticking with me for so long! I appreciate it. <333

**Author's Note:**

> So did you like it? Please let me know. Notes and kudos keep me going. <3


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